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 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
Rewind to March and a painful defeat against Newcastle United in the Carabao Cup final, ending a punishing week that included bowing out of the Champions League to eventual winners Paris Saint-Germain on penalties.
—James Pearce, New York Times, 11 Aug. 2025
So much for bowing out with dignity.
—Robyn Bahr, HollywoodReporter, 3 Sep. 2019
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
Rewind to March and a painful defeat against Newcastle United in the Carabao Cup final, ending a punishing week that included bowing out of the Champions League to eventual winners Paris Saint-Germain on penalties.
—James Pearce, New York Times, 11 Aug. 2025
So much for bowing out with dignity.
—Robyn Bahr, HollywoodReporter, 3 Sep. 2019
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bowing out
Verb
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The 74-year-old François Bayrou resigns on Tuesday after choosing to gamble his political survival on a confidence vote a day earlier—and losing it by a huge margin.—
Cole Stangler,
Time,
9 Sep. 2025
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Since then, Cracker Barrel has become a cookie-cutter corporate chain, steadily losing its Southern flavor.—
Bud Kennedy,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
9 Sep. 2025
Verb
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And customers are falling for it.—
Christopher Elliott,
USA Today,
4 Sep. 2025
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Other big stories ➤ The median rent on a one-bedroom Phoenix-area apartment is falling after the region led the nation in price increases in 2021.—
Lorenzino Estrada,
AZCentral.com,
3 Sep. 2025
Verb
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China's housing downturn has stretched into a fourth year, with prices, sales, investment and construction activity faltering across the board.—
Anniek Bao,Lee Ying Shan,
CNBC,
25 Aug. 2025
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Investors’ long-running enthusiasm for artificial intelligence showed signs of faltering late Tuesday and early Wednesday morning as tech stocks tumbled.—
Beatrice Nolan,
Fortune,
20 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Bowing out.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bowing%20out. Accessed 9 Sep. 2025.
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