as in to lose
to undergo defeat
quite embarrassingly, the top-seeded player bowed out in the first round of competition
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of bow out
Parton, 79, bowed out of the spotlight for a spell following the March death of Carl Dean, her husband of 60 years.
—
Melissa Ruggieri, USA Today, 24 June 2025
Jones bows out Jon Jones, 37, who laid claim to being the greatest mixed martial arts fighter of all time, announced his retirement over the weekend.
—Jade Walker, CNN Money, 23 June 2025
If an existing bed is bowing out, add a cross piece or drive rebar rods into the soil along the exterior of the bed.
—Lauren Landers, Better Homes & Gardens, 22 June 2025
By the time the series bowed out, in July 2020, Netflix was trading at $485 a share and boasted 182.9 million clients worldwide.
—John Hopewell, Variety, 16 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for bow out
Melissa Ruggieri, USA Today, 24 June 2025
Jones bows out Jon Jones, 37, who laid claim to being the greatest mixed martial arts fighter of all time, announced his retirement over the weekend.
—Jade Walker, CNN Money, 23 June 2025
If an existing bed is bowing out, add a cross piece or drive rebar rods into the soil along the exterior of the bed.
—Lauren Landers, Better Homes & Gardens, 22 June 2025
By the time the series bowed out, in July 2020, Netflix was trading at $485 a share and boasted 182.9 million clients worldwide.
—John Hopewell, Variety, 16 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for bow out
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bow out
Verb
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But revived Western cooperation on Iran might at least give those inside the Trump administration who still prize America’s alliances hope that all is not yet lost.—
John R. Bolton,
The Atlantic,
9 July 2025
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Dozens of students gathered Tuesday evening at a vigil held in front of the University of Texas Tower, hosted by the University Panhellenic Council and Zeta Tau Alpha sorority's Kappa chapter, to mourn the lives lost.—
Austin American Statesman,
Austin American Statesman,
9 July 2025
Verb
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Partner that with another warning sign: A declining ratio of U.S. exports to imports while the U.S. deficit increases into record territory – like trade falling two months in a row, atypical since the former tends to remain steady even as the deficit increases.—
Ken Roberts,
Forbes.com,
9 July 2025
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As 2024 began, demand for electricity on the national grid started falling—not because the economy was in decline but because (as careful scrutiny of images on Google Earth revealed) so many Pakistanis were putting up solar panels.—
Bill McKibben,
New Yorker,
9 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Bow out.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bow%20out. Accessed 13 Jul. 2025.
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