1
as in to retreat
to hasten away from something dangerous or frightening the ground soldiers bugged out just before the start of the aerial bombing
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to depart
to leave a place often for another the strange visitor bugged out without so much as saying a word
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bug out
Verb
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Coe reportedly was hospitalized several years ago with Covid-19 and had mostly retreated from public appearances since then, though it is not known whether Covid played a part in his passing.—
Greg Evans, Deadline, 30 Apr. 2026
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Or, retreat to peaceful Bluffside Gardens with ultramodern cabins that offer direct trail access.— Sarah Miller, Midwest Living, 29 Apr. 2026
Verb
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According to the international policy group, humanitarian aid shipments departing India that would typically follow the coast of the Arabian Peninsula to Sudan are instead being forced to go around the Cape of Good Hope, through the Mediterranean Sea and enter the Red Sea by way of the Suez Canal.— Bart Jansen, USA Today, 30 Apr. 2026
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As the king departs, whether his message will stick is another matter — Trump will be back dealing with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, whose own position is looking more imperiled than ever.— Elizabeth Robinson, NBC news, 30 Apr. 2026
Verb
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The suspect fled from the hospital after the shooting and was later taken into custody, where a weapon was recovered, the Police Department said.— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 27 Apr. 2026
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In May 2020, sheriff’s deputy Aaron Russell, who was assigned to the Central Jail, shot and killed 36-year-old Nicholas Bils as Bils fled, unarmed, after slipping out of handcuffs just outside the facility.— Kelly Davis, San Diego Union-Tribune, 26 Apr. 2026
Verb
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But earlier this week, the American star exited the Madrid Open well before the final, falling short in her bid for another tournament victory.— Chantz Martin, FOXNews.com, 30 Apr. 2026
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According to investigators, a family member was repositioning a vehicle closer to the house because of incoming weather when the child exited the home unnoticed and moved into a blind spot near the vehicle.— Doug Myers, CBS News, 30 Apr. 2026
Verb
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By the final showdown, the production has made use of every bit of stage space, with sensational flying sequences (choreographed by Lauren Yalango-Grant and Christopher Cree Grant) that allow the vampires to float, hover, and—in one especially intense moment—dive from that bridge.— Emily Nussbaum, New Yorker, 30 Apr. 2026
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Worst of all, like Zoolander 2 did before it, the film badly miscalculates the value of showbiz and industry cameos, which reach critical mass when the team members fly to Milan and, weirdly, only one of the latter (Donatella Versace, having an awkward lunch with Emily) seems to work.— Damon Wise, Deadline, 29 Apr. 2026
Verb
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He was instructed to respond by moving his eyes from left to right, and sure enough, the researchers counted two rightward movements of his eyes.— Shayla Love, New Yorker, 1 May 2026
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Mercury moves through your 1st House of Identity, sharpening your voice and making your words more direct than usual.— Tarot.com, New York Daily News, 1 May 2026
Verb
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This is also why the nine licensed Kentucky sportsbooks—DraftKings, FanDuel, BetMGM, Caesars, bet365, Fanatics, theScore Bet, Circa, and Prime—cannot simply bolt horse racing onto their existing platforms.— Catherina Gioino, Fortune, 2 May 2026
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Following the chaotic ending Lynch, as was his custom, bolted almost immediately from the stadium.— Michael Silver, New York Times, 30 Apr. 2026
Verb
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At the lone practice open to the media, Watson led the quarterback rotation in most drills, but Monken said the plan called for Sanders to get more reps overall.— Chantz Martin, FOXNews.com, 2 May 2026
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There’s plenty of room to step back and get some perspective.— Glenn Adamson, Artforum, 2 May 2026
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Cite this Entry
“Bug out.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.grautoblog.com/thesaurus/bug%20out. Accessed 4 May. 2026.
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