bowing out

verb

present participle of bow out
as in losing
to undergo defeat quite embarrassingly, the top-seeded player bowed out in the first round of competition

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of bowing out Netflix won the initial stage of the bidding war, which started last December, before ultimately bowing out. — David Zimmermann, The Washington Examiner, 30 Sep. 2026 Jac Schaeffer, that show's creator, was scheduled to helm this follow-up as well before bowing out of the Marvel machine, and VisionQuest has been kicking around in development for a bit. — K. Thor Jensen, PC Magazine, 28 Sep. 2026 The other openers had the most to lose here by bowing out of a huge tour. — Mikael Wood, Los Angeles Times, 16 Sep. 2026 This was a two-team race between two wild-card teams that won their playoff openers last season before bowing out in the divisional round. — The Athletic Nfl Staff, New York Times, 9 Sep. 2026 After bowing out of competition in Venice, the film will probably find a place to be on streaming. — Jordan Mintzer, HollywoodReporter, 9 Sep. 2026 Aledo has a record 12 state championships and hadn’t gone two consecutive years without a title appearance since the 2009 season, before falling in the state semifinals last season and reaching the state quarterfinals in 2024 before bowing out. — Darren Lauber, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 27 Aug. 2026 He was brought in to get England over the line in this type of situation, but his negative tactics contributed to the team bowing out yet again. — Aleks Klosok, CNN Money, 15 July 2026 After fielding a roster that struggled with injuries and went 37-45 before bowing out in the play-in tournament, the Warriors have committed to bringing back almost the exact same team as last season. — Joseph Dycus, Mercury News, 3 July 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bowing out
  1. losing
  2. falling
  3. faltering
Verb
  • Nearly all of the survey’s respondents — 96% — said losing the supplement would be a serious financial blow.
    — Max Klaver, Miami Herald, 3 Oct. 2026
  • Jack Wolf Westwood Lincoln Riley talks a big game about excelling in the Big Ten, but in losing badly to Oregon and its backup quarterback, USC probably couldn’t win the Pac-12 this year.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 3 Oct. 2026
Definition of losing
Verb
  • McGuire said the country’s murder rate is at a 126-year low and argued that falling fentanyl deaths and drug trafficking are evidence that the administration’s border and law enforcement policies are working.
    — Barnini Chakraborty, The Washington Examiner, 30 Sep. 2026
  • Applications jumped from roughly 3,500 a year before COVID to a record 18,561 in 2024, before falling nearly 30% last year and continuing to decline in 2026.
    — Michael Dorgan, FOXNews.com, 30 Sep. 2026
Definition of falling
Verb
  • There were early indicators that both programs and public engagement were faltering under the board’s new leadership.
    — E. Andrew Taylor, The Conversation, 25 Sep. 2026
  • The grandees of Gullen have set their hopes on Claire’s bankrolling their faltering community’s recovery.
    — Theater Critic, Los Angeles Times, 16 Sep. 2026
Definition of faltering

Browse Nearby Words

bowing
bowing out
bowing (to)
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Cite this Entry

“Bowing out.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bowing%20out. Accessed 6 Oct. 2026.

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