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

Record-low water levels along the Danube River have exposed dozens of German military shipwrecks near the Serbian town of Prahovo, where an estimated 200 vessels were deliberately scuttled by retreating Nazi forces in 1944.

— Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 4 Aug. 2026
Surveillance video recovered by police showed the two men fighting in an alley and then Britt retreating from Fitzsimmons, according to the charging document.

— Meredith Deliso, ABC News, 3 Aug. 2026

Definition of retreating

Verb

Flights over the Nazca Lines departing from the nearby Maria Reiche Airport had been suspended on Friday due to winds exceeding 25 mph, which kicked up dust ⁠and reduced visibility.

— Joe Kottke, NBC news, 2 Aug. 2026
Miles & More members can also earn up to 25% cashback on intercontinental award travel bookings departing from the US, or up to 15% cashback on general intercontinental itineraries.

— Jamie Spain, Condé Nast Traveler, 31 July 2026

Definition of departing

Verb

Drones struck the nearby town of Al-Burj Al-Shamali, which was subsequently hit by a strike from a fighter jet, NNA said on Thursday, adding that people were seen fleeing toward Tyre.

— Todd Symons, CNN Money, 6 Aug. 2026
Then, one of the men can be seen pulling out a gun, shooting at the influencer and immediately fleeing the scene.

— Jessica Schladebeck, New York Daily News, 5 Aug. 2026

Definition of fleeing

Verb

This trend is driven by Baby Boomer retirements and immigrants exiting the workforce, partly due to aggressive deportation policies.

— Harry Holzer, Forbes.com, 7 Aug. 2026
But exiting Middle-earth beside cartoon Frodo, there’s a sense that this 98-minute musical adaptation is truly just the beginning.

— Sarah Shachat, IndieWire, 7 Aug. 2026

Definition of exiting

Verb

Flights at Germany's Leipzig/Halle Airport, a major cargo hub, were disrupted during the night after a sighting of a flying object was reported and another object was found near a runway, police said Wednesday.

— ABC News, ABC News, 5 Aug. 2026
As a result, the squad were much further down the fitness road in the States, helped by playing two friendlies against Wisla Krakow and Manchester United before flying out.

— Richard Sutcliffe, New York Times, 4 Aug. 2026

Definition of flying

Verb

That includes the recent NXT call-up of Ricky Saints as well as Raw stars Finn Balor and Gunther moving over to Friday nights.

— Blake Oestriecher, Forbes.com, 2 Aug. 2026
The Fairview Fire was estimated at about 979 acres and remains a fast-moving threat, according to firefighters.

— Martin Goillandeau, CNN Money, 2 Aug. 2026

Definition of moving

Verb

His startup, Foundational Industries, just raised a $25 million seed round, Fortune learned exclusively, to build factories where AI runs the whole operation rather than bolting automation onto an old assembly line.

— Lily Mae Lazarus, Fortune, 30 July 2026
To save the cost and effort of pumping millions of liters of seawater solely to obtain minerals, the researchers propose bolting modular reactors onto coastal desalination plants, which already move enormous quantities of the stuff.

— New Atlas, New Atlas, 27 July 2026

Definition of bolting

Verb

And, to his right, Koehn saw a man, later identified as 24-year-old Chad Williams, running along Blue Lakes with a rifle in his hands.

— Idaho Statesman, Idaho Statesman, 7 Aug. 2026
Two 911 callers reported seeing a child in a towel running along a state highway near the Scioto River, according to audio of the calls obtained by ABC News.

— Meredith Deliso, ABC News, 22 July 2026

Definition of running along

Browse Nearby Words

bugging off

bugging out

buggy

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Cite this Entry

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“Bugging out.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bugging%20out. Accessed 8 Aug. 2026.

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Synonyms of bugging out

verb

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