1
as in to retreat
to hasten away from something dangerous or frightening
the ground soldiers bugged out just before the start of the aerial bombing
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to depart
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bug out
Verb
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With their press broken, Newcastle had to retreat to their 5-4-1 shape but became fatigued making so many recovery runs.—
Liam Tharme,
The Athletic,
16 Feb. 2025 -
Big tech companies were among the first to retreat.—
Jill Goldsmith,
Deadline,
13 Feb. 2025
Verb
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The Bering Air flight departed from Unalakleet, a community of about 690 people in western Alaska, around 2:40 p.m. local time on Thursday.—
Yaakov Katz,
Newsweek,
7 Feb. 2025
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The plane had departed Unalakleet at 2:37 p.m., Bering Air Director of Operations, David Olson, said, per local outlet KTUU.—
Becca Longmire,
People.com,
7 Feb. 2025
Verb
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By the late 1970s, hundreds of thousands of refugees had fled the country by boat and overland, flooding into Hong Kong and Thailand.—
Thomas Doherty,
The Hollywood Reporter,
19 Feb. 2025
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Context: Many of the displaced are descendants of refugees who were expelled or fled from their homes during the wars surrounding the creation of the state of Israel in 1948, a period known in Arabic as the Nakba.—
Natasha Frost,
New York Times,
18 Feb. 2025
Verb
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For example, Geico exited its Premier Partner status after the 2024 season.—
Yaakov Katz,
Newsweek,
8 Feb. 2025
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Following a meeting with top US diplomat Marco Rubio last Sunday, Mulino said Panama would exit China’s Belt and Road infrastructure drive – a blow for Beijing, which had celebrated Panama as the first country in Latin America to join the program.—
Simone McCarthy,
CNN,
7 Feb. 2025
Verb
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The demonstrator flew 10 more subsonic flights, then went supersonic for the first time on Jan. 28 of this year.—
Mike Wall,
Space.com,
11 Feb. 2025
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Listen to this article A New Jersey man flying from Miami to Newark has been arrested for threatening flight attendants with violence, harassing other passengers and yelling racist slurs while banging on the cockpit door and demanding to see the pilot, federal prosecutors announced Monday.—
Muri Assunção,
New York Daily News,
11 Feb. 2025
Verb
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Besides agriculture, Priam also moves steel, flat deck freight, and various industrial materials, serving manufacturers and suppliers across North America.—
William Mullane,
USA TODAY,
14 Feb. 2025
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The star system could also be moving towards or away from Earth.—
Robert Lea,
Space.com,
14 Feb. 2025
Verb
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In the resulting maelstrom, Sen. Strom Thurmond of South Carolina and other southern delegates bolted the convention.—
Arthur I. Cyr,
Chicago Tribune,
4 Feb. 2025
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But since Gleyber Torres bolted for the Detroit Tigers, there's still one more significant hole to fill in manager Aaron Boone's infield.—
John Yoo and John Shu,
Newsweek,
24 Jan. 2025
Verb
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Most people will get HPV, but the vast majority of people show no signs or symptoms.—
Eduardo Cuevas,
USA TODAY,
11 Feb. 2025
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Ferrell is on the cowbell, and fictional music producer Bruce Dickinson’s (Christopher Walken) gotta have more cowbell, baby.—
Tony Maglio,
IndieWire,
11 Feb. 2025
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Thesaurus Entries Near bug out
Cite this Entry
“Bug out.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bug%20out. Accessed 22 Feb. 2025.
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