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bugged out; bugging out; bugs out
Definition of bug out
1 : to retreat during a military action especially : to flee in panic
2 : to depart especially in a hurry
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Other Words from bug out
bugout \ ˈbəg-ˌau̇t 
\ noun
\ noun
Examples of bug out in a Sentence
the ground soldiers bugged out just before the start of the aerial bombing
the strange visitor bugged out without so much as saying a word
Recent Examples on the Web Urban bug out kits are not complete without this simple water procurement tool.
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Tim Macwelch, Outdoor Life, "15 Everyday Survival Supplies You Should Buy Online," 27 Nov. 2019 Overall, however, these searches all remain well under the Kardashian threshold, suggesting that Americans aren’t ready to bug out en masse just yet.
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Washington Post, "A week of coronavirus anxiety, in 11 Google searches," 29 Feb. 2020 Check your bug out bags and prepper materials, stock up.
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Paul Bedard, Washington Examiner, "Pandemic preppers arm up, 'person with the most ammo wins'," 28 Feb. 2020 This sleek kit is a great fit for your camping gear, vehicle, tackle box, disaster kit or bug out bag.
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Tim Macwelch, Outdoor Life, "15 Pieces of Survival Gear We Can’t Live Without," 9 Sep. 2019 The Philadelphia railroad has had to move slowly to get both conductors and riders used to the changes, and to work the bugs out of the software, Derwinski said during Metra’s monthly board meeting.
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Mary Wisniewski, chicagotribune.com, "Metra may do away with cash on trains," 11 Dec. 2019 Among the tech zillionaire classes, a place to bug out in the event of an economic collapse, environmental disaster or violent uprising became the thing to have.
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Alex Williams, New York Times, "Why Don’t Rich People Just Stop Working?," 18 Oct. 2019 Amazon says the intervening year has given it time to shake the bugs out of the new facility, which now employs 2,000 – a third more than the company initially forecast.
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Mike Rogoway, oregonlive.com, "Amazon warehouse in Troutdale: logistical marvels and persistent worker complaints," 6 Aug. 2019 This was three years after the Raiders had bugged out for Los Angeles.
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Gary Peterson, The Mercury News, "Raiders opponents singing no sad songs about soon-to-be-vacated Coliseum," 12 Sep. 2019
See MoreThese example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'bug out.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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Time Traveler for bug out
The first known use of bug out was in 1950
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