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Showing results for bow out. Search instead for hop+out.
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

Out of almost 40,000 predictions, 63% of you were right that the holders would bow out.

From BBC • Mar. 6, 2025

McConnell announced his retirement from the upper chamber on Thursday, opting to bow out of the 2026 Senate elections.

From Salon • Feb. 21, 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.