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

Wallen bowing out of contention might have made that a partial fait accompli, yet Megan Moroney, Ella Langley and Zach Top — all of whom have a major look going into this month’s CMA Awards — were all considered major contenders for the best new artist category. —Chris Willman, Variety, 7 Nov. 2025

George Clooney has no regrets about penning a New York Times op-ed calling for former president Joe Biden bow out of the 2024 presidential election. —Emily Zemler, Rolling Stone, 3 Nov. 2025

Behold the golden-orange horizon over Kitt Peak National Observatory, a fiery twilight moment where day bows out and the stars prepare their grand entrance. —Kenna Hughes-Castleberry, Space.com, 31 Oct. 2025

After she was sent to the hospital during the show's dress rehearsal, Braxton was forced to bow out of the competition in 2015 due to blood clots in her lungs. —Diana Pearl, PEOPLE, 29 Oct. 2025

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