BOWING OUT Synonyms: 26 Similar and Opposite Words

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

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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 Despite this, there is something alluring about the notion of Messi, Neymar and Ronaldo all bowing out at their final World Cup together. —

Graham Ruthven, New York Times, 13 June 2026 Luther Campbell, Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick, Dale Holness, and Elijah Manley had discussed one or two of them bowing out of the race but could not decide who that should be by the filing deadline. —

Manuel Bojorquez, CBS News, 12 June 2026 Advertisement Barring Platner bowing out in time—which seems unlikely—Democrats are hunkering down, desperately hoping there aren’t more Platner revelations left to come out before Election Day. —

Philip Elliott, Time, 10 June 2026 The latter staged frequent crossovers with the mothership series in its final years before bowing out in May 2024. —

Nellie Andreeva, Deadline, 19 May 2026 Family is the reason Brown is bowing out. —

Amy Drew Thompson, The Orlando Sentinel, 13 May 2026 Swalwell, who has denied the allegations, had shown signs of momentum in polls before bowing out. —

Ben Paviour, Sacbee.com, 23 Apr. 2026 However, after bowing out in the quarterfinals to Inter Miami, LAFC’s third consecutive MLS opponent following Colorado and Columbus, the current edition has delivered a much more flavorful experience. —

Josh Gross, Daily News, 13 Apr. 2026 Star quarterback Josh Allen is in the middle of his prime, and Buffalo can’t afford to waste any more of his best seasons bowing out of the playoffs at or before the AFC Championship game. —

Michael Gallagher, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 Mar. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for bowing out

Verb

Argentina won the last World Cup after losing its opener to lowly Saudi Arabia, Portugal won Euro 2016 after sneaking into the knockouts following three draws in the group stage and Spain won the 2010 World Cup after losing its opening match to Switzerland.

— Patrick Sung Cuadrado, CNN Money, 21 June 2026
But residents who live near hyperscale centers have expressed outrage over a range of issues, including health impacts, spiking utility bills, constant noise, dropping water pressure and concerns about potentially losing their land through eminent domain.

— Katie King, Los Angeles Times, 21 June 2026