bugging out

verb

present participle of bug out
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

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 bugging out There’s a wonderful small moment midway through the season where Reilly’s lightly bugging out in his dingy apartment, shaking out his limbs at sharp, insectile angles to get comfortable. — Nicholas Quah, Vulture, 26 May 2026 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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bugging out
  1. retreating
  2. departing
  3. fleeing
  4. exiting
  5. flying
  6. moving
  7. bolting
  8. running along
Verb
  • Rivera said officials had received reports of the retreating shoreline in Chiriquí and Veraguas and were coordinating surveillance with Panama’s maritime authorities and security agencies.
    — Antonio María Delgado, Miami Herald, 9 Oct. 2026
  • Still, following the victory, Johnson quickly opened the door to the idea of Keenum retreating into a backup role behind Bagent.
    — Dan Wiederer, New York Times, 3 Oct. 2026
Definition of retreating
Verb
  • Uganda’s health ministry said the man spent fewer than 24 hours in the country and had a normal temperature when screened before departing Entebbe International Airport, near Kampala.
    — Nimi Princewill, CNN Money, 10 Oct. 2026
  • After 10 years at the helm of Saint Laurent, creative director Anthony Vaccarello is departing the house.
    — Hannah Jackson, Vogue, 9 Oct. 2026
Definition of departing
Verb
  • In 2009, two Israeli tank shells exploded immediately outside Al-Fakhoora, which was crowded with families fleeing an Israeli ground offensive.
    — Mosab Abu Toha, New Yorker, 7 Oct. 2026
  • As expected, the animals became anxious, either fleeing the threatening odor or freezing in place.
    — Cody Cottier, Scientific American, 7 Oct. 2026
Definition of fleeing
Verb
  • Elsewhere in the makeup category, after exiting most of its department store distribution and launching on social, de La Faverie said that Bobbi Brown is finally gaining market share.
    — Jenny B. Fine, Footwear News, 9 Oct. 2026
  • Crude oil exiting the Strait of Hormuz averaged about 10 million barrels per day over the past week, despite a rising number of attacks on tankers.
    — Tim McDonnell, semafor.com, 9 Oct. 2026
Definition of exiting
Verb
  • Almost all of the birds on Palmyra Atoll rely on the ocean, flying out to sea daily to feed on fish or squid, bringing some back for their young.
    — Lauren Sommer, NPR, 13 Oct. 2026
  • Six Flags Great Adventure via Facebook While riding Nitro, riders can see the Philadelphia skyline for a glimpse before flying down a 215-foot drop.
    — Nikki DeMentri, CBS News, 13 Oct. 2026
Definition of flying
Verb
  • While Spencer Jones is still a work in progress defensively in center, Grisham certainly shouldn’t be patrolling the position for the Yankees moving forward.
    — Gary Phillips, New York Daily News, 9 Oct. 2026
  • There were Penn parents, too, likely moving their kids into college that weekend.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 9 Oct. 2026
Definition of moving
Verb
  • Dyson built the CameraJet around 16 million lines of code and a model trained on 470,000 dental images, bolting a camera, pump, fluid system and software onto a device people have historically cleaned with nylon bristles.
    — Ryan Brennan, Charlotte Observer, 6 Oct. 2026
  • Now every SaaS company that spent the last three years bolting AI features onto legacy infrastructure just got very expensive news.
    — Rafael Flores, Forbes.com, 16 Sep. 2026
Definition of bolting
Verb
  • There are also chines running along the fuselage, which provide better aerodynamics, with lift being particularly improved for carrier operations.
    — New Atlas, New Atlas, 4 Oct. 2026
  • The Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad operates between Durango and Silverton, traversing the San Juan National Forest and running along the Animas River.
    — Lydia Mansel, Travel + Leisure, 29 Sep. 2026
Definition of running along

Browse Nearby Words

bugging off
bugging out
buggy
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Cite this Entry

“Bugging out.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bugging%20out. Accessed 15 Oct. 2026.

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