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
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
-
Your husband has a long history of crossing the line and then retreating back just far enough that there’s an illusion of change.—
R. Eric Thomas,
Chicago Tribune,
2 May 2026
-
Chrysler, facing financial pressure, rushed to graft increasingly conventional grilles onto the rounded nose, retreating year by year from the very aerodynamic principles that made the car more efficient.—
Bill Gourgey,
Popular Science,
29 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Iran’s Mahan Air operated the first resumed flight, departing Tehran early Tuesday and returning to Tehran later the same day, IRNA added.—
Mustafa Qadri,
CNN Money,
28 Apr. 2026
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Liam Hicks hit a three-run home run in the fifth inning for the Marlins while right-hander Pete Fairbanks (0-2) was charged with three runs in the ninth, while departing with an injury.—
Miami Herald,
Miami Herald,
28 Apr. 2026
Verb
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His parents had returned to Poland after fleeing east to the Soviet Union during the Nazi invasion.—
Stephen Silver,
Sun Sentinel,
28 Apr. 2026
-
Uganda has a reputation for welcoming foreigners, hosting hundreds of thousands of refugees fleeing violent conflict in neighboring countries such as Congo, Burundi and South Sudan.—
Rodney Muhumuza,
Los Angeles Times,
28 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Shaffir hosted This Is Not Happening for three seasons before exiting the series under contentious circumstances, after deciding to sell a special to Comedy Central’s competitor, Netflix.—
Matt Grobar,
Deadline,
27 Apr. 2026
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The 31-year-old right-hander began his ramp-up at low Single-A Lake Elsinore and pitched into the third inning until exiting after a comebacker in a 6-5 win on Saturday over visiting Visalia.—
Jeff Sanders,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
26 Apr. 2026
Verb
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The drone can be seen intercepting a low-flying Ka-52, maneuvering towards its port weapon pylon before the footage dramatically cuts.—
Christopher McFadden,
Interesting Engineering,
27 Apr. 2026
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According to Delta's policies, there are no restrictions for flying while pregnant on the airline.—
Irene Wright,
USA Today,
27 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
He was instructed to respond by moving his eyes from left to right, and sure enough, the researchers counted two rightward movements of his eyes.—
Shayla Love,
New Yorker,
1 May 2026
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The sophisticated set by ace production designer David Gropman enables Altman’s perpetually moving and zooming camera to drift in and out of two-way mirrors that depict memories and fantasies with both immediacy and a gauzy nostalgia.—
Jim Hemphill,
IndieWire,
1 May 2026
Verb
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None bigger than the bombshell on April 28 that this OPEC stalwart for nearly 60 years is bolting.—
Shawn Tully,
Fortune,
29 Apr. 2026
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To avoid bolting, plant spinach four to six weeks before the last frost in your region, or plant in late summer for a fall harvest.—
Michelle Mastro,
Martha Stewart,
29 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 3 May. 2026.
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