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Synonyms

bow out

British  
/ baʊ /

verb

  1. to retire or withdraw gracefully

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
bow out Idioms  

  1. Depart, withdraw, resign, as in After five years as chairman, I felt it was time I bowed out, or We'll have to beat them; they'll never bow out. [First half of 1900s]

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Party leaders have all but asked the candidates at the bottom of the polls to bow out, but understandably the response has been, “Why me? I’m no worse than the others.”

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 26, 2026

Wiener is also up against Connie Chan, a county supervisor and former Kamala Harris aide—the only major candidate who waited for Pelosi to bow out before opting in.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 26, 2025

Should he bow out, Boland is expected to lead the assault alongside Starc and Josh Hazlewood.

From Barron's • Oct. 25, 2025

While Gerhardsson said he is "not a dreamer", if he is to bow out with one last hurrah in Switzerland, his side will seek revenge if they land England in the last eight.

From BBC • Jul. 12, 2025

She showed him how to creep soundlessly forward, knees to the ground; pushing the bow out in front of her to minimize her movement, she took aim.

From "The Reader" by Traci Chee

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.