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bugout

American  
[buhg-aut] / ˈbʌgˌaʊt /

noun

  1. Military Slang. a hasty retreat from combat, especially in defiance of orders.

  2. Slang. a person who is willfully absent from duties or obligations.


Etymology

Origin of bugout

An Americanism dating back to 1950–55; noun use of verb phrase bug out “leave”


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.

See Examples For:

Your bugout bag might be stocked better than anyone you know, and your wilderness training may be top-notch.

From Salon ● Jan. 23, 2022

Keebler held regular meetings and field training sessions, and he had scouted "bugout" locations in rural Utah, he said.

From US News ● Jul. 21, 2016

Though some allied commanders described the Iraqi pullback as an orderly fighting retreat, at times it looked like a pell- mell bugout.

From Time Magazine Archive

Toronto, which had seen half its inhabitants emigrate on open-ended tours of the wondrous worlds of the bugout domain, is full again.

From Home Again, Home Again by Cory Doctorow

There are bugout saucers hovering all around it, with giant foam-solvent tanks mounted under their bellies.

From Home Again, Home Again by Cory Doctorow

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