as in losing
to undergo defeat
quite embarrassingly, the top-seeded player bowed out in the first round of competition
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Recent Examples of bowing out
Young was a sophomore in high school in 2017 when the Panthers last made the playoffs, bowing out in the wild-card round to the Saints.
—
Joseph Person, New York Times, 7 Jan. 2026
Whatever the scenario, bowing out graciously (whether as the host or the guest) can ensure the visit ends on a positive note.
—Patricia Shannon, Southern Living, 18 Dec. 2025
Wallen bowing out of contention might have made that a partial fait accompli, yet Megan Moroney, Ella Langley and Zach Top — all of whom have a major look going into this month’s CMA Awards — were all considered major contenders for the best new artist category.
—Chris Willman, Variety, 7 Nov. 2025
In the end, the age of supersonic passenger travel never materialized, with only 12 Concordes and two Tupolev Tu-144s entering regular passenger service, and the Tupolevs bowing out early after a string of technical issues.
—David Szondy
october 28, New Atlas, 28 Oct. 2025
Microsoft has been slowly bowing out of the console wars by putting more of its previously Xbox-exclusive games on rival platforms; with the Gears of War franchise being a pillar of Xbox’s brand identity, Reloaded’s serves a slick entry point to introducing the series to a whole new ecosystem.
—George Yang, Rolling Stone, 30 Sep. 2025
This will be the first time these teams have met competitively, with Benfica out to improve after bowing out of last season's tournament in the last 16.
—Ben Verbrugge, MSNBC Newsweek, 16 Sep. 2025
The 45-year-old Williams earlier exited in the first round of both singles – bowing out against Karolína Muchová in three sets – and mixed doubles.
—Ryan Morik, FOXNews.com, 3 Sep. 2025
Much of his focus has been on cost cutting, which has improved Intel’s outlook to return to profitability but raised concerns the chipmaker may be bowing out of the race for technological leadership.
—Bloomberg, Mercury News, 20 Aug. 2025
Joseph Person, New York Times, 7 Jan. 2026
Whatever the scenario, bowing out graciously (whether as the host or the guest) can ensure the visit ends on a positive note.
—Patricia Shannon, Southern Living, 18 Dec. 2025
Wallen bowing out of contention might have made that a partial fait accompli, yet Megan Moroney, Ella Langley and Zach Top — all of whom have a major look going into this month’s CMA Awards — were all considered major contenders for the best new artist category.
—Chris Willman, Variety, 7 Nov. 2025
In the end, the age of supersonic passenger travel never materialized, with only 12 Concordes and two Tupolev Tu-144s entering regular passenger service, and the Tupolevs bowing out early after a string of technical issues.
—David Szondy
october 28, New Atlas, 28 Oct. 2025
Microsoft has been slowly bowing out of the console wars by putting more of its previously Xbox-exclusive games on rival platforms; with the Gears of War franchise being a pillar of Xbox’s brand identity, Reloaded’s serves a slick entry point to introducing the series to a whole new ecosystem.
—George Yang, Rolling Stone, 30 Sep. 2025
This will be the first time these teams have met competitively, with Benfica out to improve after bowing out of last season's tournament in the last 16.
—Ben Verbrugge, MSNBC Newsweek, 16 Sep. 2025
The 45-year-old Williams earlier exited in the first round of both singles – bowing out against Karolína Muchová in three sets – and mixed doubles.
—Ryan Morik, FOXNews.com, 3 Sep. 2025
Much of his focus has been on cost cutting, which has improved Intel’s outlook to return to profitability but raised concerns the chipmaker may be bowing out of the race for technological leadership.
—Bloomberg, Mercury News, 20 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bowing out
Verb
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Over the past year, CBS has experienced several controversies and new ownership that led to new leadership, which have some critics accusing the network of losing its credibility.—
Ashley Hume,
FOXNews.com,
14 Jan. 2026
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The Tigers, who beat Texas 70-65, were in the top 10 most of the season before losing their first two SEC games.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
13 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Try to find a place that will block blowing or falling debris.—
CA Weather Bot,
Sacbee.com,
9 Jan. 2026
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Shop my favorite airport looks for winter travel below, with each outfit falling at or below $100.—
Julia Morlino,
Travel + Leisure,
9 Jan. 2026
Verb
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And his retribution campaign—faltering to this point, to be sure—targeted the chairman of the Federal Reserve, who is now the subject of a Justice Department investigation.—
Jonathan Lemire,
The Atlantic,
13 Jan. 2026
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The other half sees an economy on the verge of faltering, with rising unemployment, that needs easier money to avoid recession.—
Jim Edwards,
Fortune,
9 Dec. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Bowing out.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bowing%20out. Accessed 20 Jan. 2026.
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