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
The Musketeers took out Texas in the First Four before bowing out against Illinois in the first round.
—
Cedric Golden, Austin American Statesman, 16 Mar. 2026
Richard Branson’s company is the only one left helping wealthy tourists explore the outer reaches of our atmosphere via suborbital flight—with its only competitor bowing out recently, with Jeff Bezos’s Blue Origin announcing in January it would be stopped its space tourism endeavors.
—Nicole Hoey, Robb Report, 5 Mar. 2026
Not so fast, Hollywood Advertisement But Netflix's bowing out does not indicate a straightforward path for the deal to push through.
—Chad De Guzman, Time, 27 Feb. 2026
Two Charlotte restaurants are bowing out of the city’s dining scene.
—Tanasia Kenney, Charlotte Observer, 27 Feb. 2026
Two weeks after bowing out in the quarterfinal to Lionel Messi and Inter Miami, the American head coach announced plans to depart at the end of 2025.
—Josh Gross, Daily News, 17 Feb. 2026
Investors are bowing out of high-growth technology stocks due to concerns about artificial intelligence’s impact on traditional enterprise software and mounting capital expenditures by mega-cap companies to build out their own AI offerings.
—Paulina Likos, CNBC, 9 Feb. 2026
The band remained steadfast in the commitment despite many other acts bowing out.
—Bethy Squires, Vulture, 8 Feb. 2026
McCaffrey was relied upon more than ever as the San Francisco powered through a litany of injuries to top players to finish the season 12-5, beating the Philadelphia Eagles in the wild-card round before bowing out in the divisional round.
—Carlos E. Castañeda, CBS News, 5 Feb. 2026
Cedric Golden, Austin American Statesman, 16 Mar. 2026
Richard Branson’s company is the only one left helping wealthy tourists explore the outer reaches of our atmosphere via suborbital flight—with its only competitor bowing out recently, with Jeff Bezos’s Blue Origin announcing in January it would be stopped its space tourism endeavors.
—Nicole Hoey, Robb Report, 5 Mar. 2026
Not so fast, Hollywood Advertisement But Netflix's bowing out does not indicate a straightforward path for the deal to push through.
—Chad De Guzman, Time, 27 Feb. 2026
Two Charlotte restaurants are bowing out of the city’s dining scene.
—Tanasia Kenney, Charlotte Observer, 27 Feb. 2026
Two weeks after bowing out in the quarterfinal to Lionel Messi and Inter Miami, the American head coach announced plans to depart at the end of 2025.
—Josh Gross, Daily News, 17 Feb. 2026
Investors are bowing out of high-growth technology stocks due to concerns about artificial intelligence’s impact on traditional enterprise software and mounting capital expenditures by mega-cap companies to build out their own AI offerings.
—Paulina Likos, CNBC, 9 Feb. 2026
The band remained steadfast in the commitment despite many other acts bowing out.
—Bethy Squires, Vulture, 8 Feb. 2026
McCaffrey was relied upon more than ever as the San Francisco powered through a litany of injuries to top players to finish the season 12-5, beating the Philadelphia Eagles in the wild-card round before bowing out in the divisional round.
—Carlos E. Castañeda, CBS News, 5 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bowing out
Verb
-
John Pulskamp finished with four saves to help Sporting KC (1-2-1) earn its first victory of the season while putting an end to a seven-match losing streak on the road dating to last season.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
15 Mar. 2026
-
The Celtics extended the Wizards’ losing streak to 11.—
Jay King,
New York Times,
15 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Conyears-Ervin, Chicago’s treasurer since 2019, launched her second bid for the seat after falling short of unseating incumbent Davis two years ago.—
Alice Yin,
Chicago Tribune,
18 Mar. 2026
-
In fact, the temperature at Camp Mabry, Austin’s main weather observation site, tied the record for the largest 24-hour temperature drop, falling 58 degrees from a high of 97 degrees Sunday afternoon to a low of 39 degrees Monday morning.—
Newsroom Meteorologist,
Austin American Statesman,
17 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Tatum’s injury was supposed to be a big reason the conference was so wide-open, along with the Indiana Pacers faltering because of Tyrese Haliburton’s own Achilles injury.—
Zach Harper,
New York Times,
9 Mar. 2026
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Now, as the conflict has shown signs of widening to other countries, including Lebanon and Bahrain, traditional safe-haven assets are showing signs of faltering.—
Liz Napolitano,
CNBC,
6 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Bowing out.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bowing%20out. Accessed 21 Mar. 2026.
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