bug out
Britishverb
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Bulge, as in The news will make her eyes bug out with astonishment . This expression was originally used literally for bulging eyes and later used more loosely as a sign of astonishment. [ Colloquial ; mid-1800s]
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Leave, run out, as in This conference is a bore; I think I'll bug out . This usage originated as military slang for deserting and today is used more loosely. [ Slang ; c. 1950]
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.
Desborough said it had been Coleman who convinced him to use Aquilino's bank card and the "bug out list" found in his cabin was also tied to Coleman.
From BBC ● Jul. 30, 2026
And yet, this phenomenon still makes jaws drop and eyes bug out of heads.
From Salon ● Jan. 18, 2026
When I booked a Tesla for my recent Miami trip, the daily rate didn’t cause my eyes to bug out.
From Washington Post ● Dec. 16, 2021
“We had everything staged and packed at the door so if we had to bug out we could do so quickly, but we just stuck it out.”
From The Guardian ● Oct. 4, 2020
Mrs. Kluck’s nostrils flare and her eyes bug out, prompting Principal Harrison to add, “This is a serious matter. At Poplar Springs Middle, we treat our equipment with respect.”
From "A Place at the Table" by Saadia Faruqi and Laura Shovan
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.
