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

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

Examples 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
  • The tech-heavy Nasdaq retreated from the 20,000 mark and shed 0.66%, while the broad market S&P 500 shed 0.54% .
    Lim Hui Jie, CNBC, 13 Dec. 2024
  • Biden retreated to Delaware to isolate and recover.
    Philip Elliott, TIME, 11 Dec. 2024
Definition of retreat
Verb
  • By dawn, Assad had departed Damascus for Russia, without a word to the people his family had ruled—and gassed, imprisoned, tortured, and murdered—for a half century.
    Robin Wright, The New Yorker, 15 Dec. 2024
  • Following a tribute to Ramos’ career at the network, the TV anchor shared a few departing words to viewers at home.
    Armando Tinoco, Deadline, 13 Dec. 2024
Definition of depart
Verb
  • Rebel fighters recently seized control of Syria, with Assad reported to have fled to Russia.
    Brittny Mejia, Los Angeles Times, 14 Dec. 2024
  • The incident began after an adult suspect and his 16-year-old son fled a Walmart store in a pickup truck as police arrived at the scene of the reported incident.
    Cristóbal Reyes, Orlando Sentinel, 13 Dec. 2024
Definition of flee
Verb
  • There needs to be balance and some states should exit the program.
    David Shepardson, USA TODAY, 19 Dec. 2024
  • Clients may lose faith in your ability to protect more than just their data and may decide to exit.
    Steve Gickling, Forbes, 18 Dec. 2024
Definition of exit
Verb
  • The 30-year-old Hawaii native was flying from Maui to N.Y.C. with a connection at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) on Nov. 8.
    Rebecca Aizin, People.com, 9 Dec. 2024
  • And didn't realize that their seven children were going to be traumatized into the therapist's couch for 10 years over the flying monkeys and the witch.
    Mathew Rodriguez, Them, 9 Dec. 2024
Definition of fly
Verb
  • The team’s pattern of drafting college hitters who should move quickly says that that is not their mindset, so go spend some of Arte’s money.
    Keith Law, The Athletic, 11 Dec. 2024
  • Rookie of the year Luis Gil, making less than $1 million next season, and Nestor Cortes Jr, making $8.3 million before becoming a free agent in 2025, are prime targets to be moved from the Yankees.
    Tyler Small, Forbes, 10 Dec. 2024
Definition of move
Verb
  • Soto’s decision to bolt the Bronx is nothing short of disappointing for the Bombers, whose ideal offseason plan revolved around re-signing the charismatic right fielder.
    Gary Phillips, New York Daily News, 9 Dec. 2024
  • Crosby’s latest seasonal compilation, Ultimate Christmas, bolts up the Top Streaming Albums chart this week.
    Hugh McIntyre, Forbes, 6 Dec. 2024
Definition of bolt
Verb
  • The suit, which originally only named Combs as a defendant, alleges that a woman who identified herself only as Jane Doe was trying to get into the VMAs in New York City the night of the assault.
    Shyla Watson, People.com, 10 Dec. 2024
  • The way he's gotten to F1 has been a little difficult the last couple of years.
    Paul Du Quenoy, Newsweek, 10 Dec. 2024
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.

Thesaurus Entries Near bug out

bug off

bug out

bugs

See More Nearby Entries 

Cite this Entry

“Bug out.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bug%20out. Accessed 21 Dec. 2024.

Copy Citation

Share

More from Merriam-Webster on bug out

Britannica English: Translation of bug out for Arabic Speakers

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See All

Point of View: It's Personal

Plural and Possessive Names: A Guide

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?

More Commonly Misspelled Words

Words You Always Have to Look Up
See All

Popular in Wordplay

See All

8 Words with Fascinating Histories

8 Words for Lesser-Known Musical Instruments

Birds Say the Darndest Things

10 Words from Taylor Swift Songs (Merriam's Version)

10 Scrabble Words Without Any Vowels
See All

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Word Game Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
naughty or nice
Are you naughty or nice? Quiz He's making a quiz, and checking it twice...