bow out

verb

bowed out; bowing out; bows out

intransitive verb

: retire, withdraw

also : lose

bowed out in the first round of the tournament

Synonyms of bow out

• lose
• fall

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 tiny island nation kept advancing, drawing Uruguay and Saudi Arabia to reach the Round of 32 before finally bowing out to defending champion Argentina in an exhilarating match that may have been the best of the tournament so far. — Daniel Ross Goodman, The Washington Examiner, 11 July 2026

England has reached the World Cup quarterfinals 10 times in the past, but that is often the round where the team bows out. — Adam Lichtenstein, Sun Sentinel, 10 July 2026

If Platner bows out and the Democrats put forth a new Senate nominee that turns off the progressive base, Coleman said that could change the tide of the general election, too. — Phillip M. Bailey, USA Today, 9 July 2026

Platner, too, was trying to influence whom the party might select to replace him before agreeing to bow out. — Elaine Godfrey, The Atlantic, 9 July 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1942, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for bow out

• about
• bailout
• blackout
• blowout
• breakout
• burnout
• buyout
• checkout
• closeout
• cutout
• devout
• dropout