BOWING OUT Synonyms: 26 Similar and Opposite Words

bowing out

verb

Definition of bowing out next

present participle of bow out

as in losing

to undergo defeat quite embarrassingly, the top-seeded player bowed out in the first round of competition

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of bowing out Family is the reason Brown is bowing out. —

Amy Drew Thompson, The Orlando Sentinel, 13 May 2026 Swalwell, who has denied the allegations, had shown signs of momentum in polls before bowing out. —

Ben Paviour, Sacbee.com, 23 Apr. 2026 However, after bowing out in the quarterfinals to Inter Miami, LAFC’s third consecutive MLS opponent following Colorado and Columbus, the current edition has delivered a much more flavorful experience. —

Josh Gross, Daily News, 13 Apr. 2026 Star quarterback Josh Allen is in the middle of his prime, and Buffalo can’t afford to waste any more of his best seasons bowing out of the playoffs at or before the AFC Championship game. —

Michael Gallagher, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 Mar. 2026 After bowing out in the NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 with a 65-55 loss to Illinois, denying the Cougars a shot at a return trip to the Final Four, UH’s roster will look noticeably different for the 2026-27 season. —

Joseph Duarte, Houston Chronicle, 28 Mar. 2026 The Musketeers took out Texas in the First Four before bowing out against Illinois in the first round. —

Cedric Golden, Austin American Statesman, 16 Mar. 2026 Richard Branson’s company is the only one left helping wealthy tourists explore the outer reaches of our atmosphere via suborbital flight—with its only competitor bowing out recently, with Jeff Bezos’s Blue Origin announcing in January it would be stopped its space tourism endeavors. —

Nicole Hoey, Robb Report, 5 Mar. 2026 Two Charlotte restaurants are bowing out of the city’s dining scene. —

Tanasia Kenney, Charlotte Observer, 27 Feb. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for bowing out

Verb

The rest of the production had been much harder—particularly because, to his frustration, he’d been forced to film primarily in Atlanta rather than in Oakland, after a year of maddening delays led to the production losing its California tax rebate.

— Emily Nussbaum, New Yorker, 17 May 2026
The Wolves were wiped out by the Spurs in the second round, losing Game 6 by 30 points on Friday night.

— Jon Krawczynski, New York Times, 17 May 2026