BUG OUT Synonyms: 110 Similar and Opposite Words

bug out

verb

Definition of bug out

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

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

Longtime collaborator Erik Blood foregrounds Butler’s dry drum machines in the mix, letting every other element shuffle around them, snaking toward the spotlight for a brief moment and retreating back into the brume.

— Dash Lewis, Pitchfork, 23 Oct. 2026
If broadcaster partnerships are helping Netflix expand its offering in Europe and Latin America, India shows why the streamer is unlikely to retreat from investing in local originals.

— Elsa Keslassy, Variety, 21 Oct. 2026

Definition of retreat

Verb

The National Gallery Singapore’s chief curator Patrick Flores and assistant chief executiveChris Lee, are the latest to depart the institution in December amid a staff shake-up.

— Devorah Lauter, ARTnews.com, 26 Oct. 2026
And, yes, this rendition represented a lyrical alteration by the Tonji that departed from the traditional wording of the French national anthem.

— Armando Salguero OutKick, FOXNews.com, 25 Oct. 2026

Definition of depart

Verb

Jaros and Rauh calculate that the state will lose money so long as 24 percent of the tax base flees, a condition that’s already been met.

— Ramesh Ponnuru, Washington Post, 27 Oct. 2026
Some senators fled while others braced themselves inside the Senate chamber as Officer Eugene Goodman tried to reason with the mob, and Senate staffers barricaded themselves in offices, hiding.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 26 Oct. 2026

Definition of flee

Verb

Understanding the financial consequences to both the business and the other marital assets—such as exiting a legal agreement or selling property—is time well spent before the terms of a divorce are accepted.

— Catherine Shanahan, Forbes.com, 20 Oct. 2026
After the couple exited the hotel and were detained, officers executed a search warrant on their hotel room, recovering a firearm and supporting evidence consistent with the crime scene, police said.

— Shambhavi Rimal, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 20 Oct. 2026

Definition of exit

Verb

The next president may well also have more power to purchase equity stakes; legislation moving through the Senate would give the Pentagon explicit legal authority to do so.

— Eleanor Mueller, semafor.com, 22 Oct. 2026
Ohio Republican gubernatorial candidate Vivek Ramaswamy is moving forward with a $4 million investment to run an ad featuring Democrat Amy Acton’s estranged mother after the video received fierce backlash.

— Claire Carter, The Washington Examiner, 21 Oct. 2026

Definition of move

Verb

In From Day One As countries build generation-defining infrastructure—road and rail tunnels, smart stadiums and hospital precincts—connectivity is too often bolted on late in construction.

— Stephen Farrugia, Forbes.com, 20 Oct. 2026
Captured on video surveillance cameras, the three thieves were seen grabbing hundreds of trading cards and bolting from the shop in less than 10 minutes.

— ABC News, ABC News, 20 Oct. 2026

Definition of bolt

Verb

Ironically, these uninsured Americans may be helping drive the cost of health care even higher, fueling a cycle in which health insurance gets more expensive, forcing more people to drop coverage.

— Alana Semuels, Time, 22 Oct. 2026
Why concert tickets keep getting more expensive Artists, promoters, venues, and ticketing platforms all take a cut of each ticket.

— James LaForge, Fortune, 22 Oct. 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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Style

“Bug out.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bug%20out. Accessed 27 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of bug out

verb

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