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 announced exhibition tied to 2027's Met Gala—featuring the work of designer John Galliano—drew so much backlash that Galliano has bowed out. — Emma Hinchliffe, Fortune, 31 Aug. 2026

No Met honoree has ever bowed out before, nor has any pre-announced theme been canceled. — Merle Ginsberg, HollywoodReporter, 31 Aug. 2026

The girl group had to bow out of Olivia Rodrigo’s Daisy Chain Fields festival August 27 after Megan Skiendiel sprained her ankle. — Bethy Squires, Vulture, 30 Aug. 2026

Aledo has a record 12 state championships and hadn’t gone two consecutive years without a title appearance since the 2009 season, before falling in the state semifinals last season and reaching the state quarterfinals in 2024 before bowing out. — Darren Lauber, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 27 Aug. 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