1
as in to retreat
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 to depart
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bug out
Verb
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Trump hasn’t been tapped along because Putin has never retreated from his annexation ends or his savage means.—
Andrew C. McCarthy,
National Review,
24 May 2025 -
The project represents the state’s largest effort to date to address the environmental problems plaguing the Salton Sea, which has been steadily retreating and leaving growing stretches of dusty lake bottom exposed to the desert winds.—
Ian James,
Los Angeles Times,
24 May 2025
Verb
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The ship departed from Tokyo on April 26 for a cruise through Japan and Alaska before arriving in Vancouver, according to CruiseMapper.—
Nathan Diller,
USA Today,
15 May 2025
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Others, including many consumer services and light industries, are now dominated by Russian businesses who were able to purchase the assets of departing Western firms on the cheap and move unopposed into their former market niches.—
Fred Weir,
Christian Science Monitor,
14 May 2025
Verb
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In the past, a similar violation might have led to a fine. Petrova, a top-tier researcher, fled Russia after protesting Vladimir Putin's war on Ukraine and had been working in a Harvard Medical School lab for two years.—
Eduardo Cuevas,
USA Today,
14 May 2025
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As the Nazis encroached on Czechoslovakia in 1938, the Löw-Beers fled.—
Eli Wizevich,
Smithsonian Magazine,
14 May 2025
Verb
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If there is a moment to be seized, it only can be seized by a mix superior to what exited amid embarrassment last month.—
Ira Winderman,
Sun Sentinel,
17 May 2025
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Just as Oakland Unified stands poised to exit this summer from two decades of state receivership after repaying a $100 million loan, the current board majority has no plan to address a new $100 million annual structural deficit facing the district over the next three years.—
Anne Campbell Washington,
Mercury News,
16 May 2025
Verb
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Washington left the event shortly after the screening began, having flown to France for the festival on his sole day off, portraying the titular role in Broadway's latest production of Othello.—
Shania Russell,
EW.com,
20 May 2025
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Books about fictional weddings fly off the shelves of bookstores, too.—
Lian Dolan,
People.com,
20 May 2025
Verb
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If the execution moves forward this time, Smith will be the first inmate executed in Tennessee since 2020 and the 19th in the U.S. this year.—
Fernando Cervantes Jr,
USA Today,
22 May 2025
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The new kickoff rule should ease the frustrations Nixon had as a returner last year, too, since moving touchbacks to the 35-yard line will incentivize teams to kick to Nixon instead of booting it over his head again.—
Matt Schneidman,
New York Times,
21 May 2025
Verb
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Two people accused of assisting the inmates who bolted from a New Orleans jail in last Friday's mass escape have been arrested as the search for fugitives still at large stetched into its sixth day, officials said.—
Bill Hutchinson,
ABC News,
21 May 2025
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Schultz bolts out of the room, and Deschanel's character whips a ukulele out of thin air.—
Wesley Stenzel,
EW.com,
16 May 2025
Verb
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Sign up for Entertainment Weekly's free daily newsletter to get breaking TV news, exclusive first looks, recaps, reviews, interviews with your favorite stars, and more.—
Randall Colburn,
EW.com,
21 May 2025
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That, plus more demanding processors, higher burst rates, and video modes, means mirrorless cameras get less battery life than DSLRs.—
PC Magazine,
PC Magazine,
20 May 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Bug out.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bug%20out. Accessed 29 May. 2025.
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