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
-
Mortensen retreated back into her room and locked the door, immediately texting her housemates.—
Time,
Time,
23 July 2025 -
Steel Dynamics — Shares retreated nearly 3% after the steelmaker’s second-quarter results trailed expectations, with $2.01 in earnings per share missing the Street’s $2.10 and revenue of $4.57 billion trailing the consensus for $4.76 billion.—
Christina Cheddar Berk,
CNBC,
22 July 2025
Verb
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Mike Christensen, an airport spokesman for Hollywood Burbank, said that neither the control tower nor the operations department, which tracks planes departing and arriving, have any record of the Southwest flight plunging in their airspace.—
Rio Yamat,
Chicago Tribune,
26 July 2025
-
Alexander Isak has made clear his desire to depart St James’ Park this summer with Liverpool reportedly interested in signing the Swedish striker.—
Graham Ruthven,
Forbes.com,
26 July 2025
Verb
-
Villagers flee their homes near the Thai border in Cambodia's Oddar Meanchey province on July 25, 2025.—
Shane Croucher
John Feng,
MSNBC Newsweek,
25 July 2025
-
Yang’s deportation to Laos – a country her parents were forced to flee following US military intervention – underscores the sweeping and aggressive tactics Trump’s White House is using to expel immigrants.—
Lex Harvey,
CNN Money,
25 July 2025
Verb
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Here, exiting through the gift shop—fittingly named Lucky Rabbit—is a way to keep the story going at home.—
AFAR Media,
AFAR Media,
14 July 2025
-
The pilot and three passengers were able to safely exit the plane.—
Grethel Aguila,
Miami Herald,
14 July 2025
Verb
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The scene concludes with a lot of digital images flying up on the screen and some positively insane synthesizer music from composer Ennio Morricone.—
Jordan Hoffman,
EW.com,
19 July 2025
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The group was exchanged for more than 250 Venezuelans deported from the U.S. and flown in March to El Salvador's high-security prison.—
Brendan Cole,
MSNBC Newsweek,
19 July 2025
Verb
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If practice is canceled or moved indoors due to the weather, paid ticket days will be provided with a makeup date, not a refund.—
Joseph Hernandez,
Kansas City Star,
20 July 2025
-
The sky was a deep red, moving into deep blue, then, above that, black.—
Mona Awad,
New Yorker,
20 July 2025
Verb
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Twenty-five American women bolted for Britain to serve in the ATA in 1942.—
Pam Kragen,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
20 July 2025
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During radiation, a mesh mask was molded to her face and bolted to the table to keep her completely still throughout each session.—
Tereza Shkurtaj,
People.com,
13 July 2025
Verb
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The Raptors got within one on a 3-pointer by Jamal Shead with 3:56 to go.—
Jason Anderson,
Sacbee.com,
20 July 2025
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However, Holland got the chance to fight for the UFC in August 2018 when Thiago Santos needed a short-notice opponent.—
Trent Reinsmith,
Forbes.com,
19 July 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Bug out.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bug%20out. Accessed 30 Jul. 2025.
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