1
as in fled
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 departed
to leave a place often for another
the strange visitor bugged out without so much as saying a word
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of bugged out
Matt, your eyes just really bugged out!
—
Kate Aurthur, Variety, 21 Nov. 2025
Kate Aurthur, Variety, 21 Nov. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bugged out
Verb
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Police said the group stole an ATM and fled in a dark SUV.—
Elyssa Kaufman,
CBS News,
17 Apr. 2026
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Police said the driver fled the scene after the collision.—
Karen Kucher,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
16 Apr. 2026
Verb
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On Friday, Vice President JD Vance departed for Pakistan to continue peace talks in the hopes of permanently ending the war.—
Grace Miserocchi,
Chicago Tribune,
11 Apr. 2026
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Before his appointment at Juventus, Spalletti had departed the Italy national team head coach role in the summer of 2025.—
James Horncastle,
New York Times,
10 Apr. 2026
Verb
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The result of days of negotiations Thursday’s proceedings came to a standstill as lawmakers retreated behind closed doors and Johnson reached for an agreement to resolve the standoff.—
Joey Cappelletti,
Los Angeles Times,
17 Apr. 2026
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Baker retreated up another flight up stairs and called out to Rivera, who was on the floor below his perch.—
Sam Charles,
Chicago Tribune,
17 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Estrada-Vicente, who was driving the vehicle, allegedly fled through the parking lot and exited the Home Depot plaza the wrong way via the one-way entrance to the plaza, nearly striking other cars attempting to pull into the lot, according to police.—
Stephen Underwood,
Hartford Courant,
11 Apr. 2026
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All-Star shortstop Jeremy Peña exited in the fourth because of right posterior knee tightness.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
11 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Cameras moved to the back of the room Utah County prosecutor Chad Grunander noted that nearly all of the clips shown by the defense as examples of media sensationalism did not include material from the courtroom livestream.—
Matthew Brown,
Chicago Tribune,
18 Apr. 2026
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When Manning began teaching in the early 1990s, communication between teachers and parents moved at a slower, more deliberate pace.—
Tereza Shkurtaj,
PEOPLE,
18 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Chesney the Kangaroo’s Close Calls and Cold-Water Dash The team managed to get close to Chesney twice, but the frightened kangaroo bolted both times.—
Samantha Agate,
Charlotte Observer,
14 Apr. 2026
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The pair bolted for a taxi, and Hooker stayed overnight at a local hotel.—
Peter D'Abrosca,
FOXNews.com,
14 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Meanwhile, the appeal that got the Los Angeles Lakers’ Luka Doncic onto the award ballots might earn him All-NBA, but did not lead to him getting his first MVP award.—
Tim Reynolds,
Chicago Tribune,
20 Apr. 2026
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Excited, yet anxious, over the prospect of reconnecting with the man that got away, the pair fortifies themselves with cocktails and bubbly during a boozy dinner.—
Brent Lang,
Variety,
20 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Animal rights activists questioned whether the wolf could survive outside the zoo and also worried it might be killed during capture, something that happened to a puma that escaped from the same zoo in 2018.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
17 Apr. 2026
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Another novel aspect is that Yarris escaped from custody in 1985, only to be quickly recaptured in Florida and sent back to death row in Pennsylvania.—
Chris Jones,
Chicago Tribune,
16 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Bugged out.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bugged%20out. Accessed 21 Apr. 2026.
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