1
as in retreating
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 departing
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
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Recent Examples of bugging out
Her baby's father answered the door with his eyes bugging out, and Frierson barged in to find two other guys, needles, spoons and powder on the table.
—
Brad Schmitt, The Tennessean, 21 Aug. 2025
Brad Schmitt, The Tennessean, 21 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bugging out
Verb
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Glaciers all over the world -- especially in Antarctica -- are also retreating at a rapid pace, recent research shows.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
9 Apr. 2026
-
The alarmed father then began retreating while shouting for their daughter to drive away.—
Bonny Chu,
FOXNews.com,
9 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Despite Vance departing Pakistan empty-handed, the mediators are still working to keep open channels of communication between the United States and Iran.—
Daniel DePetris,
Chicago Tribune,
14 Apr. 2026
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The blockade started Monday and affects all vessels entering or departing Iranian ports, according to the Pentagon, a move that could cut off one of the regime’s major sources of funding.—
Emily Hallas,
The Washington Examiner,
14 Apr. 2026
Verb
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The pursuit ended with Wilkins fleeing the vehicle on foot, with two officers in pursuit.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
14 Apr. 2026
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Rodriguez abandoned his scooter in the street and tampered with its license plate before fleeing, first to the Bronx, then rural Pennsylvania, the prosecutor said.—
Gardiner Anderson,
New York Daily News,
14 Apr. 2026
Verb
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So insurers started exiting the market or stopped writing new policies, thus reducing competition.—
Steven Greenhut,
Oc Register,
12 Apr. 2026
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Fray was seen holding his upper thigh area immediately after extending on a high kick to clear the ball just before exiting the game.—
Andre Fernandez,
Miami Herald,
12 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Everyone aboard the American Airlines jet, flying from Wichita, Kansas, and the helicopter died when the two aircraft collided.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
14 Apr. 2026
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During their 2018 trip to Australia, Meghan and Harry arrived to the continent hand-in-hand, touching down after flying in a Qantas private suite to Sydney.—
Helen Murphy,
PEOPLE,
14 Apr. 2026
Verb
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The tactics are commonly associated with South American theft groups known for operating across state lines and moving quickly from one community to another.—
Abby Dodge,
CBS News,
18 Apr. 2026
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By the end, the movie takes on the hallucinatory feel of an existential horror film, less about where anyone is going than what keeps them moving at all.—
Yvonne Villarreal,
Los Angeles Times,
17 Apr. 2026
Verb
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While staff were momentarily stunned by the sheer volume of the steal, the suspect took advantage of the distraction, untangling himself from the struggle and bolting for the exit before police could arrive.—
Khloe Quill,
FOXNews.com,
15 Apr. 2026
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Mancini coached Italy to the European Championship title in 2021 then failed to get the Azzurri to the next year’s World Cup before bolting to take over Saudi Arabia’s national team.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
3 Apr. 2026
Verb
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After that, they’re called thornbacks, a thornback being a bottom-feeding skatelike fish with sharp spikes running along its spine.—
David Sedaris,
New Yorker,
13 Apr. 2026
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In 2024, experts from the Gulf Coast Canine Project voiced concerns to the state transportation agency about ghost wolf mortality rates along FM 3005, the main road running along the coast, especially as development grows on Galveston Island.—
Ashley Soebroto,
Houston Chronicle,
4 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Bugging out.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bugging%20out. Accessed 21 Apr. 2026.
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