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 exiting
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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Schools, churches, small shops that survived the devastating 2010 earthquake that killed over 300,000 are now a pile of rubble, part of the apocalyptic landscape left behind by the retreating forces that control almost all of Haiti’s capital.—
Johnny Fils-Aimé,
Miami Herald,
8 Sep. 2025
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Water is rapidly replacing ice along the coastal plain of southeastern Alaska, where glaciers are thinning and retreating, with meltwater forming lakes off of their fronts, NASA says.—
Soo Kim,
MSNBC Newsweek,
8 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Meanwhile, in October, Spirit is exiting Albuquerque, New Mexico; Birmingham, Alabama; Boise, Idaho; Chattanooga, Tennessee; Columbia, South Carolina; Portland, Oregon; and Salt Lake City, as well as Oakland, San Diego, Sacramento and San Jose in California, the carrier told CNBC on Wednesday.—
Leslie Josephs,
CNBC,
4 Sep. 2025
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Justin Manfredi is exiting Apple TV+ to join Lionsgate as executive VP of worldwide television marketing.—
Todd Spangler,
Variety,
3 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Related Stories While fleeing with her family from Gaza City in January 2024, the car Rajab was traveling in was shelled, killing her uncle, aunt and three cousins.—
Alex Ritman,
Variety,
3 Sep. 2025
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Rajab and her family had been fleeing Gaza City when their vehicle was shelled, killing her uncle, aunt, and three cousins.—
Andreas Wiseman,
Deadline,
3 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Earlier in the day, Team Penske announced its winningest driver in IndyCar history, Will Power, would be departing.—
Bruce Martin,
Forbes.com,
3 Sep. 2025
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North Korean leader Kim Jong Un inspected a research institute developing the country’s next intercontinental ballistic missile before departing for China to attend a military parade, state media reported on September 2.—
Kapil Kajal,
Interesting Engineering,
2 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Sandhagen dispatched Edgar with a vicious flying knee 28 seconds into that bout.—
Trent Reinsmith,
Forbes.com,
3 Sep. 2025
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Considering the loss, UNC might have to come back in a big way in their next outing to ensure the jokes stop flying.—
James Brizuela,
MSNBC Newsweek,
2 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Woolen was running stride-for-stride with Pearsall but misplayed the ball and slowed down while the second-year wideout kept moving forward.—
Michael-Shawn Dugar,
New York Times,
8 Sep. 2025
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Cavitation, on the other hand, provides a high-energy, controllable launch system that doesn’t require onboard power or moving parts.—
Christopher McFadden,
Interesting Engineering,
7 Sep. 2025
Verb
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But this isn’t simply about bolting on features.—
Bessemer Venture Partners,
Forbes.com,
3 Sep. 2025
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As reports from the Ukraine war show, taking a drone and bolting a Claymore mine to it isn't new.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
24 Aug. 2025
Verb
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And don’t forget to the cast of Baywatch running along Santa Monica Beach.—
Erik Pedersen,
Deadline,
29 Aug. 2025
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Add in wild horses running along the beach at sunset and untouched coastlines, and Sumba feels like Southeast Asia before mass tourism.—
Laura Begley Bloom,
Forbes.com,
21 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Bugging out.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bugging%20out. Accessed 9 Sep. 2025.
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