as in fell
to undergo defeat
quite embarrassingly, the top-seeded player bowed out in the first round of competition
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Recent Examples of bowed out
The sinkhole didn’t appear to be connected to any public utilities, so the organization bowed out, Krul said.
—
Ilana Arougheti, Kansas City Star, 11 Feb. 2026
Austin Beutner bowed out of the race due to the death of his 22-year-old daughter.
—Noah Goldberg, Los Angeles Times, 5 Feb. 2026
Savannah Guthrie, who has bowed out of hosting NBC’s Winter Olympics coverage in light of the disappearance, spoke directly to her mother in the video.
—Elizabeth Wolfe, CNN Money, 5 Feb. 2026
Walz bowed out of his reelection race earlier this month.
—Isaac Stanley-Becker, The Atlantic, 29 Jan. 2026
In his first season, Indiana went 11-2 and bowed out in the first round of the College Football Playoff.
—Devon Henderson, New York Times, 14 Jan. 2026
When his partner bowed out, Levin joined the Navy at age 21.
—Pam Kragen, San Diego Union-Tribune, 14 Jan. 2026
The NBCUniversal parent bowed out, but Paramount went over the heads of Warner’s board directly to shareholders with a hostile offer that WBD formally rejected.
—Jill Goldsmith, Deadline, 30 Dec. 2025
That year, the Saints won the division but bowed out to division rival Tampa Bay and quarterback Tom Brady in the divisional round.
—Parker Gabriel, Denver Post, 29 Dec. 2025
Ilana Arougheti, Kansas City Star, 11 Feb. 2026
Austin Beutner bowed out of the race due to the death of his 22-year-old daughter.
—Noah Goldberg, Los Angeles Times, 5 Feb. 2026
Savannah Guthrie, who has bowed out of hosting NBC’s Winter Olympics coverage in light of the disappearance, spoke directly to her mother in the video.
—Elizabeth Wolfe, CNN Money, 5 Feb. 2026
Walz bowed out of his reelection race earlier this month.
—Isaac Stanley-Becker, The Atlantic, 29 Jan. 2026
In his first season, Indiana went 11-2 and bowed out in the first round of the College Football Playoff.
—Devon Henderson, New York Times, 14 Jan. 2026
When his partner bowed out, Levin joined the Navy at age 21.
—Pam Kragen, San Diego Union-Tribune, 14 Jan. 2026
The NBCUniversal parent bowed out, but Paramount went over the heads of Warner’s board directly to shareholders with a hostile offer that WBD formally rejected.
—Jill Goldsmith, Deadline, 30 Dec. 2025
That year, the Saints won the division but bowed out to division rival Tampa Bay and quarterback Tom Brady in the divisional round.
—Parker Gabriel, Denver Post, 29 Dec. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bowed out
Verb
-
Cortina Mayor Gianluca Lorenzi received death threats after centuries-old trees were felled to make way for a $131 million bobsledding track.—
The Week US,
TheWeek,
9 Feb. 2026
-
Afterward, Agnes and I were felled by the kind of hunger that overtakes only those who have exerted themselves in cold weather.—
Boris Fishman,
Travel + Leisure,
8 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
That is often lost in the myth of baseball in Denver.—
Troy Renck,
Denver Post,
12 Feb. 2026
-
Of course, the circumstances for why each band lost their personnel varies, such as illness (Mick Jones), death (the 1977 Skynyrd airplane crash), and the inevitable need for retirement.—
Devon Ivie,
Vulture,
11 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Tennessee faltered again right before half, missing six of its final seven shots.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
9 Feb. 2026
-
Lock went 4-1 as a starter in 2019 after taking over from veteran Joe Flacco, but faltered in a rocky 2020, with a league-leading 13 interceptions in just 13 games.—
Luca Evans,
Denver Post,
5 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Bowed out.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bowed%20out. Accessed 14 Feb. 2026.
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