bug-out bag

noun

variants or less commonly bugout bag
plural bug-out bags also bugout bags
: a bag packed with survival supplies (such as food, water, medications, and flashlights) and kept ready for use in case of an emergency that requires rapid evacuation : go bag
When … the hordes of locusts, plagues, zombies and floods come, you'll want to grab the family, the car and the bug-out bagPopular Mechanics

Examples of bug-out bag in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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.
Call it a bug-out bag, go bag, or survival kit, this stash can support four people for up to three days. Timothy Dahl, Popular Mechanics, 26 July 2018

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1958, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of bug-out bag was circa 1958

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Cite this Entry

“Bug-out bag.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bug-out%20bag. Accessed 3 Jul. 2026.

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