bug out

verb

Definition of bug outnext
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

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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
  1. retreat
  2. depart
  3. flee
  4. exit
  5. fly
  6. move
  7. bolt
  8. get
Verb
  • Exxon shares retreated about 2% in premarket trading on Friday as it’s adjusted per-share profit narrowly missed forecasts.
    — Matt Egan, CNN Money, 31 July 2026
  • Our responsibility as university leaders is not to dismiss or retreat from them, but to confront them honestly.
    — Daniel Diermeier, Forbes.com, 31 July 2026
Definition of retreat
Verb
  • Her exit follows the resignations last week of acting Chief Financial Officer Steve Mahr and Deputy CFO Noor Shaikh in June — coming after CFO Jill Jaworski departed at the beginning of this year.
    — Alice Yin, Chicago Tribune, 4 Aug. 2026
  • Jimmy Coe, for example, said in an email to the larger airport that during his visit to Orlando in 2022, his taxi driver erroneously drove him to the Orlando airport instead of the Sanford airport where his Allegiant flight was departing.
    — Martin E. Comas, The Orlando Sentinel, 3 Aug. 2026
Definition of depart
Verb
  • As the flames approached the community in July, the majority of the village’s 3,500 residents were forced to flee their homes, as hundreds of firefighters were deployed to tackle blazes more violent and unpredictable than in previous years.
    — Billy Stockwell, CNN Money, 4 Aug. 2026
  • Rhaenyra and Rhaena flee on Syrax as Rhaena watches in horror as the other dragons bite and claw at her own.
    — Erik Kain, Forbes.com, 3 Aug. 2026
Definition of flee
Verb
  • Cooper and Hadid sparked dating rumors in October 2023 when they were photographed leaving the West Village restaurant Via Carota and exiting via the same SUV, per the Daily Mail.
    — Marina Watts, Entertainment Weekly, 3 Aug. 2026
  • Brent's price careened between $72 and $102 last month as worries rose and fell about when the war with Iran would allow oil tankers to freely exit the Persian Gulf again to deliver crude to customers worldwide.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 3 Aug. 2026
Definition of exit
Verb
  • Gable suplexed Penta into the corner and went for a flying headbutt, but Penta caught him in an armbar, busting Gable’s shoulder.
    — Alfred Konuwa, Forbes.com, 3 Aug. 2026
  • That story mimics the god Hermes, who flies over water in The Odyssey.
    — John Blake, CNN Money, 2 Aug. 2026
Definition of fly
Verb
  • The Tigers won for just the second time in six games to start a three-city West Coast swing and moved within 3 1/2 games of the final wild-card spot in the American League.
    — CBS News, CBS News, 1 Aug. 2026
  • If the proposal moves forward, corporate demographic data related to employee race and gender would be less available to the public.
    — Janice Gassam Asare, Forbes.com, 1 Aug. 2026
Definition of move
Verb
  • Two Ohio men accused of shoplifting from a Kroger were pulled over by Miami Township police on July 27, and one of them, later identified as Kaamil O'Berry, bolted from the car and fled on foot, according to WKRC.
    — Adam Sabes, FOXNews.com, 3 Aug. 2026
  • Those changes stuck because they were built into how the business runs, not bolted onto a marketing model.
    — Christopher Elliott, Forbes.com, 2 Aug. 2026
Definition of bolt
Verb
  • At age 16, Armstrong made his first solo flight and got his pilot's license.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 5 Aug. 2026
  • Also, the Grindr is all guys either dressed up for pup play or wearing ladies’ panties, which is also not my idea of a good time, but slightly better than getting your foot stuck in a wet, mossy hole.
    — Brian Moylan, Vulture, 5 Aug. 2026
Definition of get
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.

Browse Nearby Words

bug off
bug out
bugs
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Cite this Entry

“Bug out.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bug%20out. Accessed 6 Aug. 2026.

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