1
as in fled
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 departed
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 bugged out
Verb
-
Mangione then allegedly fled the city and led police on a five-day interstate manhunt, ending with his arrest in a McDonald's restaurant in Altoona, Pennsylvania, after workers and customers recognized him from a wanted poster.—
Michael Ruiz,
Fox News,
6 Jan. 2025 -
The driver of the vehicle fled quickly after police tried to carry out a traffic stop on Sunset Avenue.—
Adriana Pérez,
Chicago Tribune,
6 Jan. 2025
Verb
-
One surprisingly active club has been the Athletics, who have departed Oakland and will play their home games in Sacramento in the near term.—
Tony Blengino,
Forbes,
8 Jan. 2025
-
Multiple other execs in the C-suite departed in the time since, most recently president and chief operating officer Chris Ruble, who was terminated in December.—
Glenn Taylor,
Sourcing Journal,
8 Jan. 2025
Verb
-
But while there are still a lot of questions to be answered, the prospect of a Pixel-like camera design seems to have retreated.—
David Phelan,
Forbes,
21 Dec. 2024
-
It’s hardly been altered in the 17,000 years or so since those glaciers retreated.—
Ashley Balzer Vigil,
Ars Technica,
21 Dec. 2024
Verb
-
Despite this, the number of animals in shelters remains high—in the first half of 2024, 322,000 more pets entered shelters than exited them.—
Dan Perry,
Newsweek,
3 Jan. 2025
-
Our emphasis on clear succession planning ensured smooth transitions when leaders moved roles or exited.—
Padmakumar Nair,
Forbes,
3 Jan. 2025
Verb
-
After realizing the mother of three was awake, the intruder immediately bolted out out of the room.—
Vivian Kwarm,
New York Daily News,
17 Dec. 2024
-
An overdose episode — Kiana bolted barefoot from their rural home and went missing overnight in the woods — brought police attention and led to charges for child endangerment.—
John Branch,
New York Times,
24 Nov. 2024
Verb
-
Oklahoma went into Knoxville and barely escaped with a win over Tennessee.—
Sabreena Merchant,
The Athletic,
6 Jan. 2025
-
Like police officers who protected them, lawmakers who were in the Capitol during the attack have a visceral reaction to the pardon talk, having barely escaped a mob that seemed determined to do them harm.—
Kevin Freking,
Los Angeles Times,
5 Jan. 2025
Verb
-
Those bleak years devastated the American rail industry, as revenue fell by 50 percent from 1928 to 1933, and a third of the country’s railroads went into bankruptcy.—
Patrick Sauer,
Smithsonian Magazine,
24 Dec. 2024
-
Someone won a $68 million jackpot in New York on Christmas Eve in 2002, but that prize went unclaimed.—
Aliza Chasan,
CBS News,
24 Dec. 2024
Verb
-
Hardman, who played collegiately at Georgia, ran the 40-yard dash in 4.33 seconds at the 2019 NFL Scouting Combine.—
Rob Reischel,
Forbes,
19 Mar. 2025
-
Lionsgate Canada and Piller/Segan are making it for Corus Entertainment network Global, reuniting the trio four year after the end of Private Eyes, which ran from 2016-2021.—
Jesse Whittock,
Deadline,
18 Mar. 2025
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.
Cite this Entry
“Bugged out.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bugged%20out. Accessed 23 Mar. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share