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
Swalwell, who has denied the allegations, had shown signs of momentum in polls before bowing out.
—
Ben Paviour, Sacbee.com, 23 Apr. 2026
But eventually, Paramount offered more money and Netflix abruptly bowed out of the race rather than prolonging the fight.
—ABC News, 22 Apr. 2026
Netflix bowed out of the race in late February, when Paramount made a new offer that topped Netflix’s final bid and the streamer drew the line at going any higher.
—Jennifer Maas, Variety, 16 Apr. 2026
When Swalwell succumbed to the growing political pressure to bow out of the race, and eventually resigned from Congress, Gallego did an about-face on his support for the California congressman.
—Claire Carter, The Washington Examiner, 14 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for bow out
Ben Paviour, Sacbee.com, 23 Apr. 2026
But eventually, Paramount offered more money and Netflix abruptly bowed out of the race rather than prolonging the fight.
—ABC News, 22 Apr. 2026
Netflix bowed out of the race in late February, when Paramount made a new offer that topped Netflix’s final bid and the streamer drew the line at going any higher.
—Jennifer Maas, Variety, 16 Apr. 2026
When Swalwell succumbed to the growing political pressure to bow out of the race, and eventually resigned from Congress, Gallego did an about-face on his support for the California congressman.
—Claire Carter, The Washington Examiner, 14 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for bow out
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bow out
Verb
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Educators were fired for making insensitive comments about him on their personal social-media accounts; a firefighter in Toledo lost his job for posting a derisive eulogy on Facebook; various airline employees were suspended for disparaging Kirk online.—
Brady Brickner-Wood,
New Yorker,
29 Apr. 2026
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Gray added that both players agreed to lose the game in exchange for $10,000 to $15,000 in payments each.—
Scott Thompson,
FOXNews.com,
29 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Huntington Beach fell behind early in the second set but continued to keep the set close before Fruerbringer’s kill gave the Mustangs a 16-11 lead.—
Lou Ponsi,
Oc Register,
10 May 2026
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After a jump ball, Miles chased down the ball at midcourt, started to drive and passed to Hof, whose layup at the buzzer did not fall.—
Mike Cook,
Twin Cities,
10 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Bow out.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bow%20out. Accessed 11 May. 2026.
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