BOW OUT Synonyms: 26 Similar and Opposite Words

bow out

verb

Definition of bow out next

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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Example Sentences

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Recent Examples of bow out Under pressure from his party, Swalwell bowed out of the governor’s race Sunday — and then the House on Monday. —

Michelle Cottle, Mercury News, 16 Apr. 2026 Hansi Flick’s side bowed out despite a stirring recovery after losing the first leg 2-0. —

Greg O'Keeffe, New York Times, 15 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 In late February, Ellison’s Paramount Skydance prevailed in a nearly six-month bidding war after Netflix unexpectedly bowed out when the elder Ellison agreed to financially back his son’s $111-billion deal. —

Meg James, Los Angeles Times, 13 Apr. 2026 See All Example Sentences for bow out

Recent Examples of Synonyms for bow out

Verb

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
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