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
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
There’s no doubt that female stars the stature of Stone and Sweeney would have felt the heat had Casey Wasserman not bowed out.
—Cynthia Littleton, Variety, 15 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
Cam Inman, Mercury News, 17 Feb. 2026
There’s no doubt that female stars the stature of Stone and Sweeney would have felt the heat had Casey Wasserman not bowed out.
—Cynthia Littleton, Variety, 15 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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Cortina Mayor Gianluca Lorenzi received death threats after centuries-old trees were felled to make way for a $131 million bobsledding track.—
The Week US,
TheWeek,
9 Feb. 2026
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Afterward, Agnes and I were felled by the kind of hunger that overtakes only those who have exerted themselves in cold weather.—
Boris Fishman,
Travel + Leisure,
8 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Meyer arrived with the players looking to regain ground, which some believe had been lost in CBA negotiations during 2011 and 2016.—
Andy McCullough,
New York Times,
19 Feb. 2026
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Similarly, federal prosecutors have lost all five cases accusing protesters of assaulting federal officers that have gone to trial in the Los Angeles area, according to data from the US attorney’s office there as of earlier this month.—
Isabelle Chapman,
CNN Money,
19 Feb. 2026
Verb
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And it’s directed by Karim Aïnouz, a Brazilian director who once made the heated, moving dramas Madame Satan and The Invisible Life of Eurídice Gusmão but in recent years has faltered with works like the disastrous Firebrand and the atmospheric but tedious Motel Destino.—
Bilge Ebiri,
Vulture,
15 Feb. 2026
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The experience is reminiscent of the 2018 Olympics in PyeongChang, when another heavy favorite for gold, Nathan Chen, faltered in the short program of the men’s event and finished 17th.—
Alice Park,
Time,
14 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Bowed out.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bowed%20out. Accessed 20 Feb. 2026.
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