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
Relevance
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
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
-
The military then attacked one of the vehicles and a building from which the individuals had fled.—
Charbel Mallo,
CNN Money,
23 Apr. 2026
-
That resident was able to leave the scene and call 911 but the suspects had fled in a vehicle before police got on scene two minutes later.—
Harry Harris,
Mercury News,
23 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
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
-
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
-
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
-
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
-
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
-
All-Star shortstop Jeremy Peña exited in the fourth because of right posterior knee tightness.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
11 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
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
-
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
-
The foundations were welded and bolted to the strengthened deck, and the rotors themselves, fabricated with inner steel cores and composite shells, were then lifted by crane.—
Srishti Gupta,
Interesting Engineering,
21 Apr. 2026
-
Some hatchlings bolted straight for the surf, while a few needed a gentle nudge from the marine team.—
Susmita Baral,
Travel + Leisure,
21 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
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
-
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
-
The 28-year-old driver initially escaped but was later located by military police on the base and taken into custody.—
Stepheny Price,
FOXNews.com,
23 Apr. 2026
-
Indonesia, Malaysia, and Singapore The Indonesian archipelago straddles many of the waterways governing access between the Indian Ocean and the rest of East Asia, which hasn’t escaped the notice of Indonesian officials.—
Angelica Ang,
Fortune,
23 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Bugged out.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bugged%20out. Accessed 24 Apr. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
