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
Only one candidate — former Assemblymember Ian Calderon — bowed out as a result of the letter.
—
Grace Hase, Mercury News, 11 Mar. 2026
Richard Branson’s company is the only one left helping wealthy tourists explore the outer reaches of our atmosphere via suborbital flight—with its only competitor bowing out recently, with Jeff Bezos’s Blue Origin announcing in January it would be stopped its space tourism endeavors.
—Nicole Hoey, Robb Report, 5 Mar. 2026
Gonzales' decision to bow out of the race appears to clear the field.
—ABC News, 5 Mar. 2026
Paramount raised its offer last week, and Netflix then opted to bow out rather than take part in a bidding war.
—Dade Hayes, Deadline, 2 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for bow out
Grace Hase, Mercury News, 11 Mar. 2026
Richard Branson’s company is the only one left helping wealthy tourists explore the outer reaches of our atmosphere via suborbital flight—with its only competitor bowing out recently, with Jeff Bezos’s Blue Origin announcing in January it would be stopped its space tourism endeavors.
—Nicole Hoey, Robb Report, 5 Mar. 2026
Gonzales' decision to bow out of the race appears to clear the field.
—ABC News, 5 Mar. 2026
Paramount raised its offer last week, and Netflix then opted to bow out rather than take part in a bidding war.
—Dade Hayes, Deadline, 2 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for bow out
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bow out
Verb
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Pop Mart shares have lost some momentum after their extended run-up, retreating about 50% from their August peak.—
Anniek Bao,
CNBC,
25 Mar. 2026
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The Knicks have feasted on a soft part of their schedule, beating Indiana twice, Utah, Brooklyn and Washington during the winning streak, which came entirely against teams with losing records.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
25 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Night fell, and Martha came to a small black lake.—
Cassandra Neyenesch,
New Yorker,
29 Mar. 2026
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Photos shared on social media shows the massive slabs of rock fell just past a blind curve and the SUV sustained major front-end damage.—
Mark Price,
Charlotte Observer,
29 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Bow out.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bow%20out. Accessed 31 Mar. 2026.
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