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
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.
Van Halen and company — Jon Jourdan, Frank Sidoris, Ronnie Ficarro and Garrett Whitlock — spent the summer opening for Creed, which sadly meant the group had to bow out of the Black Sabbath/Ozzy Osbourne Back to the Beginning concert during July. Gary Graff, Billboard, 24 Oct. 2025 Adams, a Democrat, dropped his independent campaign in late September after having previously bowed out of the Democratic primary, which Mamdani won. Eduardo Cuevas, USA Today, 23 Oct. 2025 And Campbell, who bowed out of the sixth installment, is back as well as the screenplay focuses on the story of Sidney Prescott. Kelli Skye Fadroski, Oc Register, 22 Oct. 2025 Reacher star Alan Ritchson was originally attached to opposite Midthunder but bowed out due to scheduling conflicts. Borys Kit, HollywoodReporter, 17 Oct. 2025 See All Example Sentences for bow out

Word History

First Known Use

1942, in the meaning defined above

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

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Bow out.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bow%20out. Accessed 25 Oct. 2025.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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