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
-
Priest brawled with both McIntyre and Black, sending the heels retreating.—
Andrew Ravens,
MSNBC Newsweek,
10 Nov. 2025
-
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
Verb
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Flights arriving and departing from Sky Harbor are delayed because of staffing shortages at the airport's air traffic control tower, according to the FAA.—
Tiffany Acosta,
AZCentral.com,
11 Nov. 2025
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Over the past four days, Indianapolis had a larger share of departing flights canceled compared to several busier airport hubs, including Orlando International Airport, Philadelphia International Airport and Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport, according to data analyzed by USA Today.—
Alysa Guffey,
IndyStar,
10 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 evangelical missionary has been working with Crisis Response International, flying in resources to Jamaica at his own expense, said Sean Malone, CRI founder.—
Milena Malaver,
Miami Herald,
11 Nov. 2025
-
Three years later, 4,300 miles from home, Neal was flying the second-largest plane in the world.—
Brad Schmitt,
Nashville Tennessean,
11 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer of New York voted against moving ahead with the package, along with all but eight of his Democratic colleagues.—
Orianna Rosa Royle,
Fortune,
10 Nov. 2025
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Director Michael Arden, meanwhile, is up to his elbows just moving the cumbersome Legos of Dane Laffrey’s set around.—
Sara Holdren,
Vulture,
10 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 15 Nov. 2025.
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