as in fell
to undergo defeat
quite embarrassingly, the top-seeded player bowed out in the first round of competition
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Recent Examples of bowed out
After Full House wrapped, Barber bowed out of the acting world for a few years.
—
Diana Pearl,
PEOPLE,
24 June 2026
Edmonton bowed out in the first round.
—
David Furones,
Sun Sentinel,
15 June 2026
Sinner was initially slated to play with Emma Raducanu, but bowed out after retiring in the Cincinnati final.
—
Adam Zagoria,
Forbes.com,
13 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
If this were a pure power ranking, Mississippi State might be in the top five, but this is about the matchup, and the Bulldogs have to visit Georgia, which was probably the best team in the tournament even before UCLA and Georgia Tech bowed out.
—
Mitch Light,
New York Times,
3 June 2026
Shortly after that debate, Biden bowed out of the presidential race.
—
Scott Detrow,
NPR,
2 June 2026
In fairness, two of the best Eastern Conference teams bowed out in the postseason before the Knicks got the chance to face them.
—
Lev Akabas,
Sportico.com,
1 June 2026
The Wild bowed out of the playoffs with a 4-1 series loss to the Avalanche that to some felt closer.
—
Jess Myers,
Twin Cities,
27 May 2026
Diana Pearl,
PEOPLE,
24 June 2026
Edmonton bowed out in the first round.
—
David Furones,
Sun Sentinel,
15 June 2026
Sinner was initially slated to play with Emma Raducanu, but bowed out after retiring in the Cincinnati final.
—
Adam Zagoria,
Forbes.com,
13 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
If this were a pure power ranking, Mississippi State might be in the top five, but this is about the matchup, and the Bulldogs have to visit Georgia, which was probably the best team in the tournament even before UCLA and Georgia Tech bowed out.
—
Mitch Light,
New York Times,
3 June 2026
Shortly after that debate, Biden bowed out of the presidential race.
—
Scott Detrow,
NPR,
2 June 2026
In fairness, two of the best Eastern Conference teams bowed out in the postseason before the Knicks got the chance to face them.
—
Lev Akabas,
Sportico.com,
1 June 2026
The Wild bowed out of the playoffs with a 4-1 series loss to the Avalanche that to some felt closer.
—
Jess Myers,
Twin Cities,
27 May 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bowed out
Verb
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Aalto University / Mahdi Asgari History is filled with stories of the great being felled by the puny.
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And those are the lucky ones, who weren’t felled by late-season injuries and bumped from the tournament the way Brazil’s Rodrygo, Japan’s Kaoru Mitoma and Germany’s Serge Gnabry were.
Verb
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Foundation board treasurer Mark Rahman, a volunteer with the National Alliance on Mental Illness Tri Valley who also lost a child to suicide, supports Alan's parents' mission to bring good from their grief.
-
Having lost to Mexico in the tournament's opening game and then drawn with Czechia, South Africa came into this game at the foot of the table.
Verb
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When Johnson faltered, Clark had plenty of breathing room — and a quick turnaround.
-
Still up seven games in the NL East, the Braves (46-27) are in an offensive funk over the past week, and the team’s good starting pitching has faltered some.
Cite this Entry
“Bowed out.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bowed%20out. Accessed 25 Jun. 2026.
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