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
Finishing last season with 91 points while meekly bowing out in the first round doesn’t help that perception.
—
The Athletic Nhl, New York Times, 1 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
So much for bowing out with dignity.
—Robyn Bahr, HollywoodReporter, 3 Sep. 2019
The Athletic Nhl, New York Times, 1 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
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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Since then, eight Cup Final series have featured a Canadian team, with more than half of them — the Vancouver Canucks (1994, 2011), Calgary Flames (2004) and Oilers (2006, 2024) — losing in Game 7s.—
Rob Rossi,
New York Times,
7 Oct. 2025
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Ed is left alone on the farm after impulsively killing that brother (whose actual death might have been accidental) for breaking up the family unit and, the next year, losing Augusta to complications from a stroke.—
Judy Berman,
Time,
6 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Margins for row-crop producers have thinned amid falling prices and high fertilizer costs.—
Jessica Coacci,
Fortune,
8 Oct. 2025
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For millions of low-wage workers, these state-level adjustments mean a modest but tangible boost in take-home pay—often the difference between meeting basic needs and falling short.—
Aliss Higham,
MSNBC Newsweek,
8 Oct. 2025
Verb
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The Street is critical of Cornell for not initiating enough changes and corrections to improve Target’s business, which has been faltering for several seasons.—
David Moin,
Footwear News,
1 Oct. 2025
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The Lions moved to 2-1, while the Ravens are now 1-2 after faltering late in this game.—
Scott Thompson,
FOXNews.com,
23 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Bowing out.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bowing%20out. Accessed 9 Oct. 2025.
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