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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.

Might they write smaller checks or bow out entirely if the conflict drags on?

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 20, 2026

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

From Barron's • Oct. 25, 2025

In one instance, the online harassment threats got so bad that Singh was forced to bow out of a speaking appearance at the Asian American Journalism Assn.’s annual conference, Rose said.

From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 28, 2025

But he chose to bow out from acting in the political satire, Welcome to Mooseport in 2004.

From BBC • Feb. 27, 2025

The two people who he always knew would put up with his crap had decided to bow out.

From "When I Was the Greatest" by Jason Reynolds

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.