1
as in to retreat
to hasten away from something dangerous or frightening
the ground soldiers bugged out just before the start of the aerial bombing
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to depart
to leave a place often for another
the strange visitor bugged out without so much as saying a word
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bug out
Verb
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Groups of demonstrators retreated to nearby streets, only to cut back and regroup near the Stonewall Inn and Christopher Park.—
Liz Tracey,
JSTOR Daily,
24 June 2025 -
Many analysts believe Iran will retreat, reassemble its nuclear scientists and rebuild its program.—
Kristina Karisch,
The Hill,
24 June 2025
Verb
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Macron and Trump exchanged barbs earlier in the week after Trump departed the G7 summit early as the conflict between Iran and Israel mounted.—
Callum Sutherland,
Time,
20 June 2025
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And even the great man had to battle at times for a dollar before departing to take Ferrari's moola.—
Alex Kalinauckas,
New York Times,
20 June 2025
Verb
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The conflict entered its sixth night, as Israel and Iran traded airstrikes that have sent civilians fleeing for safety in Tehran and Tel Aviv.—
Rebecca Morin,
USA Today,
19 June 2025
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Jurors found Read not guilty of murder, manslaughter and fleeing a deadly accident in a trial that stretched on for more than 30 days of testimony and four days of deliberations.—
Michael Ruiz,
FOXNews.com,
19 June 2025
Verb
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The big exited Barclays Center that night in a walking boot and stayed in New York Friday to undergo further imaging and evaluation while the team traveled to Seattle to begin a four-game roadtrip.—
Fiifi Frimpong,
New York Daily News,
22 June 2025
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In fan footage shared online, Kelce could be seen shaking a restaurant employee's hand before exiting the building, as Swift followed closely behind.—
Nicholas Rice,
People.com,
21 June 2025
Verb
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Nearly two weeks ago, 62 carbon-spewing private jets reportedly flew world leaders into Kananaskis, Canada, for the G7 summit, raising serious questions about the travel choices of those who are supposed to be tackling climate change and other global crises.—
Martha Ross,
Mercury News,
25 June 2025
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The administration eventually flew him back, but immediately detained him on criminal charges.—
Sergio Martínez-Beltrán,
NPR,
25 June 2025
Verb
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Wales have done well under Wilkinson to move away from a hardened reputation as being Fishlock’s team and become more of a sum of their parts.—
Megan Feringa,
New York Times,
27 June 2025
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Employees are held to high speed standards, with some scanning up to 1,200 items an hour to keep lines moving.—
Meghan Overdeep,
Southern Living,
26 June 2025
Verb
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And this double-U structure is bolted to a square base that sits on a rotating support for 360-degree horizontal swivel.—
Paul Ridden
June 25,
New Atlas,
25 June 2025
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While legacy automakers outsource software and tech firms try to bolt autonomy onto third-party hardware, Tesla owns the entire autonomy stack.—
Jim Osman,
Forbes.com,
24 June 2025
Verb
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As New York closed in on Tuesday's vote, more investors got nervous as the polls showed Mamdani was leading.—
Jason Gewirtz,
CNBC,
26 June 2025
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Daniels gets his guy Aiyuk, who's the younger, and potentially better receiver.—
Michael Gallagher,
MSNBC Newsweek,
26 June 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Bug out.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bug%20out. Accessed 3 Jul. 2025.
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