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Showing results for bug out. Search instead for bug+out.
Synonyms

bug out

British  

verb

  1. slang (intr, adverb) to depart hurriedly; run away; retreat

"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
bug out Idioms  

  1. 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]

  2. 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.

The problem is that’s the kind of value that makes Scrooge McDuck dollar signs bug out of Hollywood executives’ heads.

From Salon • Mar. 26, 2026

I had the camera app bug out a few times, but generally it's been fast and stable.

From The Verge • Aug. 18, 2017

The numbers are so outlandish that even when you smush games together, your eyes bug out.

From Washington Post • Jun. 27, 2017

While those sites are busy patching their systems and checking for breaches, and while you are changing your passwords, I’ve got some more bad news for you: There is an even worse bug out there.

From Slate • Apr. 14, 2014

The gruff old voice caused Bobby Gene’s eyes to bug out a bit.

From "The Season of Styx Malone" by Kekla Magoon

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.