BUGGING OUT Synonyms: 109 Similar and Opposite Words

bugging out

verb

present participle of bug out

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

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

Verb

Cardinal and Lilly also set fresh record closes last week, before retreating modestly, as J & J has, in recent sessions.

— Natasha Abellard, CNBC, 14 July 2026
And larger investors were already retreating from the single-family market.

— Samantha Delouya, CNN Money, 11 July 2026

Definition of retreating

Verb

To de-escalate the situation and for officer safety, officers did not proceed with the arrest at the Las Vegas Airport and chose to instead arrest him at his flight the following day departing the Los Angeles International Airport on July 14.

— Carly Sauvageau, USA Today, 17 July 2026
Okay, maybe while departing my hotel’s driveway, but that’s about it.

— Jerry Perez, The Drive, 15 July 2026

Definition of departing

Verb

More than 500 people fleeing violence in Myanmar are feared dead after two boats disappeared in rough conditions off the country’s coast, according to two UN migration bodies.

— Lex Harvey, CNN Money, 16 July 2026
In 1994 Goma and surrounding areas received hundreds of thousands of refugees fleeing from the genocide and subsequent military operations that occurred in Rwanda that year, leading to a humanitarian crisis.

— Chinatsu Tsuji, Encyclopedia Britannica, 14 July 2026

Definition of fleeing

Verb

That means that in order to attend, your device needs to be secured in a Yondr pouch, only to be unlocked upon exiting the venue (White was actually the first artist to use Yondr).

— Angie Martoccio, Rolling Stone, 16 July 2026
The victim had been riding as a passenger in a Jeep driving on Hudson Street that was sideswiped by a Ford pickup truck exiting a driveway near a Shell gas station, authorities said.

— Caelyn Pender, Mercury News, 16 July 2026

Definition of exiting

Verb

After flying toward a naval target over the Black Sea, the aircraft launched one of the supersonic missiles from a stand-off distance exceeding 120 kilometers, successfully destroying its target.

— Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 14 July 2026
The Piper Tomahawk had been taken on a test flight by a flying instructor in his 20s after a part was replaced on the plane, the airline said.

— Charlotte Reck, CNN Money, 14 July 2026

Definition of flying

Verb

Regena and Frankie Felix went to the hospital ready for the birth of their child, but they were sent home by staff who felt Regena’s labor wasn’t moving along fast enough on Monday, July 13, Fox 10 reported.

— Nicholas Rice, PEOPLE, 18 July 2026
Consider Updating Your Plumbing Just like with lighting, switches, and outlets, many kitchen renovators plan on adding or moving plumbing lines for appliances, pot fillers, and more.

— Kamron Sanders, The Spruce, 18 July 2026

Definition of moving

Verb

There was a point that night, still being replayed on social media even now, where Connors was running along the back wall, throwing up lobs as the noise in the place kept building with each one.

— Mike Lupica, New York Daily News, 4 July 2026
The district is in the central part of Palm Beach County, running along the coast.

— Anthony Man, Sun Sentinel, 25 June 2026

Definition of running along

Browse Nearby Words

bugging off

bugging out

buggy

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“Bugging out.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bugging%20out. Accessed 21 Jul. 2026.

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Synonyms of bugging out

verb

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