as in to lose
to undergo defeat
quite embarrassingly, the top-seeded player bowed out in the first round of competition
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Recent Examples of bow out
The fallout for the HFPA group included the decision by longtime TV partner NBC to bow out of airing the 2022 Golden Globe Awards ceremony.
—
Cynthia Littleton, Variety, 3 July 2025
Kaylan bowed out after the 2017 tour, following back surgery and two heart procedures.
—George Varga, San Diego Union-Tribune, 13 July 2025
In the 2024 presidential election, Trump allies worked to boost third party candidates Jill Stein of the Green Party, Cornel West and Robert F. Kennedy Jr. (before Kennedy bowed out to endorse Trump) to peel off votes from Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democratic nominee.
—Joey Garrison, USA Today, 9 July 2025
But there will be players who bow out of next week’s All-Star Game because of injuries or other personal decisions.
—Cody Stavenhagen, New York Times, 8 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for bow out
Cynthia Littleton, Variety, 3 July 2025
Kaylan bowed out after the 2017 tour, following back surgery and two heart procedures.
—George Varga, San Diego Union-Tribune, 13 July 2025
In the 2024 presidential election, Trump allies worked to boost third party candidates Jill Stein of the Green Party, Cornel West and Robert F. Kennedy Jr. (before Kennedy bowed out to endorse Trump) to peel off votes from Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democratic nominee.
—Joey Garrison, USA Today, 9 July 2025
But there will be players who bow out of next week’s All-Star Game because of injuries or other personal decisions.
—Cody Stavenhagen, New York Times, 8 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for bow out
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bow out
Verb
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In just the wild-card era — dating back to the 1995 season — a whopping 10 teams have lost six in a row and gone on to win the World Series.—
Ryan Ford,
Freep.com,
22 July 2025
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More recently, the show lost one of its own when Warner died at age 54 on July 20.—
Jordana Comiter,
People.com,
21 July 2025
Verb
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More aggressive treatment options Advertisement In particularly severe cases—especially when someone has an underlying autoimmune disease—OTC eye drops and lifestyle modifications will likely fall short.—
Angela Haupt,
Time,
21 July 2025
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According to data from professional services giant PwC, global M & A volumes fell 9% year-on-year in the first half of 2025, but deal values were up by 15%.—
Chloe Taylor,
CNBC,
21 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Bow out.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bow%20out. Accessed 4 Aug. 2025.
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