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
Synonyms & Similar Words
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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The Haitian immigrant, along with hundreds of thousands of others in the past decade, fled his home country to escape violence and repression.—
Dan Horn,
Cincinnati Enquirer,
5 Feb. 2026
-
Mitchell’s companion yanked a necklace off Reed’s neck before both suspects fled the area, authorities said.—
Nate Gartrell,
Mercury News,
5 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Crew-11 departed a month earlier than planned due to a medical issue with one of its astronauts, leaving the ISS with a skeleton crew for longer than anticipated.—
Mike Wall,
Space.com,
14 Feb. 2026
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The mission replaces the crew from NASA's Crew-11 mission, which departed the ISS a month ahead of schedule in January due to a medical evacuation of one of the crew members.—
Lydia Calitri,
NPR,
14 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Aljorna and Sosa-Celis retreated into their upstairs apartment and barricaded the door, so federal officers used tear gas to try to force the men out, the FBI agent said.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
14 Feb. 2026
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An impartial onlooker could even reasonably conclude that Trevor took one glance at his opposition and retreated to the safety of a forward-facing position.—
Ben Travers,
IndieWire,
13 Feb. 2026
Verb
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The right-hander exited after five innings, allowing four runs and seven hits, striking out six and walking one on 91 pitches.—
Tony Catalina,
Austin American Statesman,
14 Feb. 2026
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The passenger exited the vehicle and went inside the residence to retrieve some clothes, the witness said, while Wimbley stayed in the vehicle.—
Steven Mross,
Arkansas Online,
11 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Accepting the award, Yeoh moved the audience with an emotional speech reflecting on her career.—
Ellise Shafer,
Variety,
13 Feb. 2026
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Mission was moved from United Launch Alliance to speed up launch (ULA gets a future launch in exchange).—
Richard Tribou,
The Orlando Sentinel,
13 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Illinois bolted an early 15-3 lead as USC stumbled out of the gate, turning the ball over four times in the first six minutes and missing seven of its first eight shots.—
Ryan Kartje,
Los Angeles Times,
19 Feb. 2026
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Many of them built their businesses on Slack, Zoom, and AI tools, so flexibility and technology are baked into how their firms run—not bolted on as a perk.—
Orianna Rosa Royle,
Fortune,
17 Feb. 2026
Verb
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But Wemby got his painfully cool peers to play along, to pick up the tempo – and their defense, often at half court.—
Mirjam Swanson,
Oc Register,
16 Feb. 2026
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As a plant biologist, Kato knew that bioplastics could be made from plants and got curious about the possibilities.—
TRAVIS LOLLER,
Arkansas Online,
16 Feb. 2026
Verb
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That season’s squad, which had gone to the NIT three straight years, escaped the non-conference schedule with a record of 9-2.—
PJ Green,
Kansas City Star,
5 Feb. 2026
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The rescue came about after Jordan Turpin — who was 17 at the time — escaped from the home and told authorities about their captivity and abuse.—
Madison E. Goldberg,
PEOPLE,
4 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Bugged out.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bugged%20out. Accessed 19 Feb. 2026.
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