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
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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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That deadlock prompted an unusually long recess of nearly 90 minutes that was followed by a 6-0 vote in favor of retreating on the bus stops.—
David Garrick,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
9 May 2026
-
Many of them have been linked to retreating glaciers, as melting ice destabilizes the mountains and land that had been covered for centuries.—
Ella Nilsen,
CNN Money,
6 May 2026
Verb
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Iran’s Mahan Air operated the first resumed flight, departing Tehran early Tuesday and returning to Tehran later the same day, IRNA added.—
Mustafa Qadri,
CNN Money,
28 Apr. 2026
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Liam Hicks hit a three-run home run in the fifth inning for the Marlins while right-hander Pete Fairbanks (0-2) was charged with three runs in the ninth, while departing with an injury.—
Miami Herald,
Miami Herald,
28 Apr. 2026
Verb
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His parents had returned to Poland after fleeing east to the Soviet Union during the Nazi invasion.—
Stephen Silver,
Sun Sentinel,
28 Apr. 2026
-
Uganda has a reputation for welcoming foreigners, hosting hundreds of thousands of refugees fleeing violent conflict in neighboring countries such as Congo, Burundi and South Sudan.—
Rodney Muhumuza,
Los Angeles Times,
28 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Stein suggests replacing towels, shower curtains, shower liners, and bath mats before exiting the room.—
Daley Quinn,
Southern Living,
11 May 2026
-
His bull case is that humans are not exiting the security equation anytime soon.—
Lily Mae Lazarus,
Fortune,
11 May 2026
Verb
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Other things flying up include flexible repair patches for sealing the space station’s hull, a replacement ultrasonic inspection tool, spare units for the station’s vibration monitoring system and parts to improve water processing and oxygen generation.—
Richard Tribou,
The Orlando Sentinel,
12 May 2026
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The pair got the gold-star treatment from some European designers, with Chanel flying them over to attend the fall show and to dine privately with Karl Lagerfeld.—
Rosemary Feitelberg,
Footwear News,
11 May 2026
Verb
-
Adjust the pace, keep moving, and follow what feels expansive.—
Tarot.com,
Hartford Courant,
9 May 2026
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The company evaluates Prime Day timing annually and felt that moving the event earlier in the summer was the best fit for customers this year, an Amazon spokesperson told CNBC Select.—
Ryley Amond,
CNBC,
8 May 2026
Verb
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The trick is integrating them during the remodel, rather than bolting them on after a fall.—
Amy Kunst,
Sacbee.com,
7 May 2026
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None bigger than the bombshell on April 28 that this OPEC stalwart for nearly 60 years is bolting.—
Shawn Tully,
Fortune,
29 Apr. 2026
Verb
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After that, they’re called thornbacks, a thornback being a bottom-feeding skatelike fish with sharp spikes running along its spine.—
David Sedaris,
New Yorker,
13 Apr. 2026
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In 2024, experts from the Gulf Coast Canine Project voiced concerns to the state transportation agency about ghost wolf mortality rates along FM 3005, the main road running along the coast, especially as development grows on Galveston Island.—
Ashley Soebroto,
Houston Chronicle,
4 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Bugging out.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bugging%20out. Accessed 13 May. 2026.
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