as in to lose
to undergo defeat
quite embarrassingly, the top-seeded player bowed out in the first round of competition
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Recent Examples of bow out
Advertisement Barring Platner bowing out in time—which seems unlikely—Democrats are hunkering down, desperately hoping there aren’t more Platner revelations left to come out before Election Day.
—
Philip Elliott, Time, 10 June 2026
The Storm Prediction Center said a few supercells, rotating thunderstorms, could form ahead of the main line in Kansas, and the squall line could bow out with 60-80 mph winds and a brief tornado risk.
—Kansas City Star, 8 June 2026
Since then, Americans have bowed out in the Round of 16 twice, failed to advance out of the group stage once and infamously missed the World Cup entirely in 2018.
—Zack Cox, Boston Herald, 7 June 2026
The generation that rode cheap college, rising home prices, and the 401(k) revolution into late career was expected to bow out gracefully, freeing up houses and jobs for their kids and grandkids.
—Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 7 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for bow out
Philip Elliott, Time, 10 June 2026
The Storm Prediction Center said a few supercells, rotating thunderstorms, could form ahead of the main line in Kansas, and the squall line could bow out with 60-80 mph winds and a brief tornado risk.
—Kansas City Star, 8 June 2026
Since then, Americans have bowed out in the Round of 16 twice, failed to advance out of the group stage once and infamously missed the World Cup entirely in 2018.
—Zack Cox, Boston Herald, 7 June 2026
The generation that rode cheap college, rising home prices, and the 401(k) revolution into late career was expected to bow out gracefully, freeing up houses and jobs for their kids and grandkids.
—Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 7 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for bow out
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bow out
Verb
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One hundred and twenty-six supporters lost their lives after police fired tear gas into the terraces following two late goals from Hearts of Oak in a game against Asante Kotoko.—
Simon Hughes,
New York Times,
17 June 2026
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The Royals have lost six of their last seven games.—
Kansas City Star,
Kansas City Star,
17 June 2026
Verb
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Scheffler, who fell nine shots behind with a pair of bogeys at the start, shot 32 on the back nine by chipping in from 65 feet on the 14th for the start of three straight birdies.—
Doug Ferguson,
Los Angeles Times,
21 June 2026
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Overall homicides in the United States have fallen for four consecutive years, according to FBI data analyzed by the Washington Post.—
Sara-James Ranta,
The Orlando Sentinel,
20 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Bow out.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bow%20out. Accessed 22 Jun. 2026.
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