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
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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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The rally came as oil prices retreated from recent highs amid reports that Iran seeks to de-escalate tensions with Israel.—
Trefis Team,
Forbes.com,
17 June 2025 -
While Shell has retreated from some of its low-carbon ventures, the company remains committed to EVs and has more than 75,000 charge points across the world.—
Preston Fore,
Fortune,
17 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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The legislation comes as the country grapples with a severe demographic crisis, exacerbated by the ongoing war with Russia, which has forced millions of Ukrainians to flee abroad.—
Isabel van Brugen,
MSNBC Newsweek,
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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Rodriguez, 21, has not pitched since exiting a June 8 game with what was termed a biceps issue by the organization.—
Jeff Sanders,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
21 June 2025
Verb
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The mission is flying to the orbiting lab in a brand-new SpaceX Dragon and will spend about two weeks up there, during which time the crew will conduct about 60 different scientific experiments.—
Mike Wall,
Space.com,
25 June 2025
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There are still questions about the cornerback position and the pass rush, but second-year defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley will have his unit flying around the field making plays.—
Evan Massey,
MSNBC Newsweek,
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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Already, by last year, JP Morgan Chase, which was founded in New York City more than 200 years ago and has 24,000 employees still in New York today, has started moving workers out of New York by the thousands.—
Time,
Time,
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 1 Jul. 2025.
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