bow out

verb

bowed out; bowing out; bows out

intransitive verb

: retire, withdraw
also : lose
bowed out in the first round of the tournament

Examples of bow out in a Sentence

quite embarrassingly, the top-seeded player bowed out in the first round of competition
Recent Examples on the Web The Toreros bowed out of the double-elimination regional with a 1-2 record, the victory coming Saturday against Fresno State. Kirk Kenney, San Diego Union-Tribune, 2 June 2024 Kelly weighs in: After Kyrsten Sinema bows out, Arizona's other U.S. senator endorses Ruben Gallego for U.S. Senate. The Arizona Republic, 31 May 2024 But both front-runners ― U.S. Rep. Elissa Slotkin, D-Lansing, and Republican Mike Rogers ― bowed out. Clara Hendrickson, Detroit Free Press, 28 May 2024 Many countries have demanded reciprocal access to the Chinese market; others have bowed out of Chinese initiatives altogether and are seeking financing elsewhere. Audrye Wong, Foreign Affairs, 20 Apr. 2021 See all Example Sentences for bow out 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'bow out.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1942, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of bow out was in 1942

Dictionary Entries Near bow out

Cite this Entry

“Bow out.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bow%20out. Accessed 17 Jun. 2024.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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