bowed out

verb

past tense of bow out
as in fell
to undergo defeat quite embarrassingly, the top-seeded player bowed out in the first round of competition

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of bowed out The show will have a new host (Trevor Noah bowed out after six years) and will air/stream on new network platforms — ABC, Disney+ and Hulu — after the show ended a 54-year run on CBS. — Paul Grein, Billboard, 9 Oct. 2026 But Netflix bowed out after Paramount eventually upped its offer to buy all of Warner for $31 per share. — ABC News, 6 Oct. 2026 On Wednesday the Sox advanced to the American League Division Series with a 7-3 win over the Houston Astros in their wild-card series, about three hours before the Cubs bowed out of their wild-card series with a 4-1 loss to the San Diego Padres. — Paul Sullivan, Chicago Tribune, 1 Oct. 2026 However, when Damon bowed out to star in The Odyssey, Affleck took over the role and, well, that’s where Garner drew the line. — Emlyn Travis, Entertainment Weekly, 25 Sep. 2026 There is no offseason from a city’s and a fanbase’s obsession, but last season has long been over, a fact that coach Ben Johnson has belabored since his team bowed out of the playoffs on an overtime field goal last January. — Jon Greenberg, New York Times, 10 Sep. 2026 The announced exhibition tied to 2027's Met Gala—featuring the work of designer John Galliano—drew so much backlash that Galliano has bowed out. — Emma Hinchliffe, Fortune, 31 Aug. 2026 No Met honoree has ever bowed out before, nor has any pre-announced theme been canceled. — Merle Ginsberg, HollywoodReporter, 31 Aug. 2026 In 2014, when Democrats bowed out of the Senate race to clear the way for independent entrepreneur Greg Orman, Republican incumbent Pat Roberts won the race by more than 10 percentage points. — Matthew Kelly, Kansas City Star, 11 Aug. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bowed out
  1. fell
  2. lost
  3. faltered
Verb
  • Griess, the superintendent of the National Mall and Memorial Parks, said the 430 trees that were felled were not identified as hazardous or raising safety concerns.
    — Melissa Quinn, CBS News, 12 Oct. 2026
  • Yet trees that took a millennium to grow can be felled in under an hour.
    — Annika Hammerschlag, Los Angeles Times, 16 Sep. 2026
Definition of fell
Verb
  • His candidate lost in December 2018 to Kabila's long-term political rival, Tshisekedi.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 14 Oct. 2026
  • Ryder’s Law was reintroduced this year after another carriage horse collapsed and died in Central Park, and in a separate incident, tourist Romanch Mahajan, 18, died after falling off a carriage after the operator lost control.
    — Claire Carter, The Washington Examiner, 14 Oct. 2026
Definition of lost
Verb
  • On top of all of that, the AI trade faltered this week amid growing concerns that some companies are issuing too much debt to build out their AI networks.
    — Fred Imbert, CNBC, 16 Oct. 2026
  • This week a deal for Volta Infrastructure faltered as investors feeling full-up on data center debt demanded higher yields.
    — Ellen DiMauro, semafor.com, 15 Oct. 2026
Definition of faltered

Browse Nearby Words

bowed
bowed out
bowed (to)
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Cite this Entry

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

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