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
Shortly before Netflix publicly bowed out, champagne was rolled into the executive suite at Paramount’s Melrose lot.
—
Brent Lang, Variety, 27 Feb. 2026
Both Jennings and Piñeiro were integral to last season’s push into the NFC playoffs’ divisional round, where the exhausted and undermanned 49ers bowed out to the eventual champion Seattle Seahawks.
—Cam Inman, Mercury News, 17 Feb. 2026
The sinkhole didn’t appear to be connected to any public utilities, so the organization bowed out, Krul said.
—Ilana Arougheti, Kansas City Star, 11 Feb. 2026
Austin Beutner bowed out of the race due to the death of his 22-year-old daughter.
—Noah Goldberg, Los Angeles Times, 5 Feb. 2026
Savannah Guthrie, who has bowed out of hosting NBC’s Winter Olympics coverage in light of the disappearance, spoke directly to her mother in the video.
—Elizabeth Wolfe, CNN Money, 5 Feb. 2026
Walz bowed out of his reelection race earlier this month.
—Isaac Stanley-Becker, The Atlantic, 29 Jan. 2026
In his first season, Indiana went 11-2 and bowed out in the first round of the College Football Playoff.
—Devon Henderson, New York Times, 14 Jan. 2026
When his partner bowed out, Levin joined the Navy at age 21.
—Pam Kragen, San Diego Union-Tribune, 14 Jan. 2026
Brent Lang, Variety, 27 Feb. 2026
Both Jennings and Piñeiro were integral to last season’s push into the NFC playoffs’ divisional round, where the exhausted and undermanned 49ers bowed out to the eventual champion Seattle Seahawks.
—Cam Inman, Mercury News, 17 Feb. 2026
The sinkhole didn’t appear to be connected to any public utilities, so the organization bowed out, Krul said.
—Ilana Arougheti, Kansas City Star, 11 Feb. 2026
Austin Beutner bowed out of the race due to the death of his 22-year-old daughter.
—Noah Goldberg, Los Angeles Times, 5 Feb. 2026
Savannah Guthrie, who has bowed out of hosting NBC’s Winter Olympics coverage in light of the disappearance, spoke directly to her mother in the video.
—Elizabeth Wolfe, CNN Money, 5 Feb. 2026
Walz bowed out of his reelection race earlier this month.
—Isaac Stanley-Becker, The Atlantic, 29 Jan. 2026
In his first season, Indiana went 11-2 and bowed out in the first round of the College Football Playoff.
—Devon Henderson, New York Times, 14 Jan. 2026
When his partner bowed out, Levin joined the Navy at age 21.
—Pam Kragen, San Diego Union-Tribune, 14 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bowed out
Verb
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Apartment buildings were felled by air strikes, and smoke billowed from the blasts; the buzz of Israeli drones filled the air.—
Rania Abouzeid,
New Yorker,
5 Mar. 2026
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Too many people, particularly those in my age group, have been felled by a cold that morphed into pneumonia, or a UTI that landed them in the hospital, or a simple stumble on a floor mat that resulted in surgery and months of physical therapy.—
Donna Vickroy,
Chicago Tribune,
27 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Pascal Siakam had 29 points in his return after sitting out three games because of a left wrist sprain to lead Indiana, but the Pacers lost their seventh in a row and fell to the bottom of the Eastern Conference with a 15-47 record.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
5 Mar. 2026
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On Tuesday, he was forced into a May runoff against Brandon Herrera, a gun manufacturer and YouTube gun-rights influencer who narrowly lost to Gonzales in the 2024 primary.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
5 Mar. 2026
Verb
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But UConn faltered in the second half, surrendering a 20-4 run and at one point going nearly eight minutes between field goals.—
Peter Sblendorio,
New York Daily News,
7 Mar. 2026
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The Aussie actor has had quite the year, with acclaimed performances in films such as Frankenstein and Wuthering Heights—and amidst the many press tours and busy award season events, his personal style has never faltered.—
Kristina Rutkowski,
Vogue,
5 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Bowed out.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bowed%20out. Accessed 10 Mar. 2026.
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