1
as in retreating
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 departing
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
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Recent Examples of bugging out
Her baby's father answered the door with his eyes bugging out, and Frierson barged in to find two other guys, needles, spoons and powder on the table.
—
Brad Schmitt, The Tennessean, 21 Aug. 2025
Brad Schmitt, The Tennessean, 21 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bugging out
Verb
-
Dinner usually means a lively table at Sweet Basil or Mountain Standard before retreating back to the hotel for a nightcap and a hot tub soak.—
Bailey Berg,
Condé Nast Traveler,
6 Feb. 2026
-
Software stocks led the latest downdraft, with the S & P 500 software index sliding 5% Thursday and retreating for a seventh straight day, helping push the entire S & P 500 lower for a third day.—
Scott Schnipper,
CNBC,
6 Feb. 2026
Verb
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One glaring problem is found in Olde Town Arvada, where connecting from the light rail to departing bus service in a timely manner is impossible.—
DP Opinion,
Denver Post,
10 Feb. 2026
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Under normal procedures, departing astronauts don't leave the space station until a few days after their replacements arrive.—
Eric Lagatta,
USA Today,
10 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
In between people fleeing their homes and a severe financial crisis, many abandoned their pets.—
Jane Arraf,
NPR,
10 Feb. 2026
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Her grandparents, Edward and Sallie Bryant, emigrated from Kentucky in 1880 along with tens of thousands of other Exoduster families fleeing the racial violence and economic exploitation of the post-Civil War South.—
Elijah Winkler,
Kansas City Star,
10 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
The Canadian team hugged coach Scott Moir after exiting the ice, the legendary Olympian who holds three gold and two silver medals in ice dance for Canada.—
Isabel Yip,
NBC news,
9 Feb. 2026
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Here was RussField exiting a black limo at the Ambassador Hotel, in a gown and tux, photographers clamoring for a shot.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
8 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Wasserman has previously admitted to flying with Epstein on the financier’s private plane on a trip to Africa with Maxwell and former President Clinton.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
10 Feb. 2026
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Winter Olympic athletes, particularly those who compete in events that involve flying down a mountain or icy track at breakneck speeds, are not exactly known for self-preservation instincts.—
Lindsay Schnell,
New York Times,
9 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Mostly, however, Gee’s sophisticated, stealthily moving film folds any bursts of emotion into its exquisitely dark shadows, letting Evans’ limpid but heartsore music do most of the weeping.—
Guy Lodge,
Variety,
13 Feb. 2026
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Juliette Binoche has spent four decades embodying the restless intelligence of French and European cinema, moving effortlessly between auteurs and emotional registers.—
Scott Roxborough,
HollywoodReporter,
13 Feb. 2026
Verb
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The high-stakes move is aimed at stopping a half-dozen suburbs from bolting from the Dallas Area Rapid Transit.—
Dallas Morning News,
Dallas Morning News,
11 Feb. 2026
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Parsley leaves also turn bitter after bolting.—
Brandee Gruener,
Southern Living,
3 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Bowell is charged in the March 29, 2025 death of Ann Seidl, 54, who was struck while running along County Highway Y in the Town of Dunn and pronounced dead at the scene, according to WEAU, WQOW and WKRC.—
Christina Coulter,
PEOPLE,
3 Feb. 2026
-
Pipes running along exterior walls with little or no insulation.—
Mary Wasson,
Austin American Statesman,
27 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Bugging out.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bugging%20out. Accessed 14 Feb. 2026.
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