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
Relevance
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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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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With nothing but West Ham’s rapidly retreating defence in front of him, and an instant four-on-four, Guimaraes drove forward before picking out Murphy to his right, in a position to isolate left-back El Hadji Malick Diouf with a one-vs-one.—
Jacob Whitehead,
New York Times,
2 Nov. 2025
-
After retreating behind the walls of Culloden Parks, the remaining fighters soon surrendered.—
Andrew Paul,
Popular Science,
30 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Colin Walsh will succeed Kyle Leahy, who will be departing Glossier at the end of the year, as the beauty brand’s next CEO.—
Vogue Business Team,
Vogue,
4 Nov. 2025
-
After departing the Grateful Dead in 1979, the Godchauxs formed the Heart of Gold Band, which was cut short by Keith’s tragic death in a car accident the following year.—
Jessica Lynch,
Billboard,
4 Nov. 2025
Verb
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The Little Rock man who, police say, crashed while fleeing from an Arkansas State Police trooper last week now faces first-degree murder counts in the death of two teenage passengers, authorities said Wednesday.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
6 Nov. 2025
-
Born in Tehran, Atash migrated to the United States alone at the age of 19, fleeing war, trauma, and abuse.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
6 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
Surveillance video shows two masked men entering through an interior hallway of the storage facility before exiting into an outdoor area enclosed by a metal fence.—
Julia Bonavita,
FOXNews.com,
5 Nov. 2025
-
Prescott, who spent three years as an external adviser to the BBC’s Editorial Guidelines and Standards Committee before exiting in June, raised questions with the committee, BBC executives, and the corporation’s board.—
Jake Kanter,
Deadline,
4 Nov. 2025
Verb
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The conservative backlash isn’t surprising, but we were still left genuinely puzzled by the unshakable belief that a lesbian nun is as far-fetched a notion as a flying elephant.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
4 Nov. 2025
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The wood-free Hyper Core composite walls are finished in automotive grade aluminum outer panels framed out via 11-gauge aluminum corner rails, protecting the trailer from low branches and flying debris.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
4 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
As Semafor previously reported, many inside the magazine were excited by Guiducci’s arrival, believing the old Vanity Fair was moving too slowly, had fallen too far outside the zeitgeist, and had lost some of its sheen.—
Max Tani,
semafor.com,
3 Nov. 2025
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Tulane University said moving research animals is routine but governed by strict confidentiality agreements to protect the animals’ safety and the parties’ proprietary information.—
Greg Wehner,
FOXNews.com,
2 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
Parsley leaves also turn bitter after bolting.—
Brandee Gruener,
Southern Living,
1 Nov. 2025
-
Toronto’s fielding fails them Addison Barger stared at the sky, bolting to his right as Austin Wells’ fly ball fell.—
Brendan Kuty,
New York Times,
8 Oct. 2025
Verb
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New York is a crossroads for them at the edge of the continent, like a traffic circle with east-west routes running along the ocean or north-south routes going up the harbor or to New Jersey.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
4 Nov. 2025
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Seated front row, the star turned heads in a sheer bodysuit featuring an iridescent brown and yellow print, paired with matching pants adorned with coordinating fabric details and cut-outs running along the legs.—
Essence,
Essence,
29 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Bugging out.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bugging%20out. Accessed 8 Nov. 2025.
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