bow out

verb

bowed out; bowing out; bows out

intransitive verb

: retire, withdraw
also : lose
bowed out in the first round of the tournament

Examples of bow out in a Sentence

quite embarrassingly, the top-seeded player bowed out in the first round of competition
Recent Examples on the Web
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.
Dutcher has had good players and good teams, including one that went 30-2 before the season was canceled due to COVID-19, another that won 32 games and reached the national championship game, another that reached the Sweet 16 before bowing out against eventual champion UConn. Mark Zeigler, San Diego Union-Tribune, 7 Feb. 2025 After the For All The Dogs rapper seemingly bowed out of his beef with Kendrick Lamar, the Compton rapper went on a full victory lap which included The Pop Out concert in June 2024. Armon Sadler, VIBE.com, 5 Feb. 2025 This is its 20th show, a good time to bow out, Zoller said. Christopher Arnott, Hartford Courant, 26 Jan. 2025 At some point, maybe as soon as next season, Olsen could ascend to the No. 1 role again for Fox if Brady bows out to take a more publicly active role in trying to rebuild the Raiders. Scott Fowler, Charlotte Observer, 14 Jan. 2025 See all Example Sentences for bow out 

Word History

First Known Use

1942, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of bow out was in 1942

Dictionary Entries Near bow out

Cite this Entry

“Bow out.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bow%20out. Accessed 16 Feb. 2025.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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