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 actress bowed out of both parts due to scheduling conflicts.
—
Ew Staff, EW.com, 18 May 2025
That won’t be the case this year, with Sovereignty bowing out of this year’s Preakness for fear of too tight a turnaround time.
—Sam Cohn, Baltimore Sun, 17 May 2025
The last five defending champs all bowed out before the conference finals – a streak Boston is in danger of extending.
—Zack Cox, Boston Herald, 9 May 2025
The Kraken join the negative club despite winning a round in 2023 — their only playoff run in history so far — and stretching the Stars to seven games before bowing out in Round 2.
—Sean McIndoe, New York Times, 30 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for bow out
Ew Staff, EW.com, 18 May 2025
That won’t be the case this year, with Sovereignty bowing out of this year’s Preakness for fear of too tight a turnaround time.
—Sam Cohn, Baltimore Sun, 17 May 2025
The last five defending champs all bowed out before the conference finals – a streak Boston is in danger of extending.
—Zack Cox, Boston Herald, 9 May 2025
The Kraken join the negative club despite winning a round in 2023 — their only playoff run in history so far — and stretching the Stars to seven games before bowing out in Round 2.
—Sean McIndoe, New York Times, 30 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for bow out
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bow out
Verb
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Pirates starter Mitch Keller hadn’t won since picking up a victory in his season debut March 28 in Miami, losing nine games.—
Jeff Vorva,
Chicago Tribune,
15 June 2025
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Surprisingly dismissed after the Cubs lost the 2017 National League Championship Series, Mallee moved on from that disappointment by landing major-league coaching positions with the Philadelphia Phillies and Los Angeles Angels.—
Patrick Mooney,
New York Times,
15 June 2025
Verb
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Americans celebrate Flag Day, which falls on Saturday, June 14, in many ways, including parades, ceremonies and educational events designed to encourage respect for the flag and its significance.—
Amaris Encinas,
USA Today,
15 June 2025
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Wolfe's consistent buyback basket screens for companies that have such a track record of stock repurchases that their share counts have fallen for at least 10 straight years.—
Brian Evans,
CNBC,
15 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Bow out.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bow%20out. Accessed 19 Jun. 2025.
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