1
as in fled
to hasten away from something dangerous or frightening
the ground soldiers bugged out just before the start of the aerial bombing
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in departed
to leave a place often for another
the strange visitor bugged out without so much as saying a word
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of bugged out
Matt, your eyes just really bugged out!
—
Kate Aurthur, Variety, 21 Nov. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bugged out
Verb
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The suspects fled the scene, last seen heading northbound on Kedzie Avenue in a sedan, police said.—
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Stella alleged that a small black hatchback vehicle struck her state police cruiser and then fled the scene.—
Verb
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Once the clock struck zero and quarterback Jordan Love’s final prayer fell unanswered in the end zone, Policy swiftly departed without much expression.—
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Now, New England is once again atop the AFC East, their first division victory since Tom Brady departed Boston.—
Verb
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Unsurprisngly, Meg White, who retreated from public life and hasn’t been heard from for over a decade, was a no-show.—
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People retreated in fear that more would come.—
Verb
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Police said a 30-year-old Meridian man exited the vehicle and walked away from the location, while the driver stayed and cooperated with officers.—
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After speeding past traffic at 100 mph, the driver exited the freeway in Woodland Hills and continued to recklessly drive onto the wrong side of the road and swerve between lanes in nearby Canoga Park.—
Verb
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They are felt as they are composed, painfully, joyously, cellularly—and they are designed for other biological beings to experience, to connect with, to be animated, provoked and moved by.—
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Led by quarterback Tony Pike, the Bearcats moved quickly down the field, setting up a first down at Pitt’s 29-yard line with 33 seconds left.—
Verb
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Multiple key coordinators and assistants agreed to contracts with LSU shortly after Kiffin bolted from the Rebels, including offensive coordinator Weis, tight ends coach/co-offensive coordinator Joe Cox, and wide receivers coach/passing game coordinator George McDonald.—
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The Wolverines bolted out to an 11-0 lead thanks to a defense that forced six early turnovers.—
Verb
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By 1996, Joe broke through in commercial work and got into television.—
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Multiple King of Fire, which got its start as a food truck and expanded to a permanent space in uptown Charlotte, plans to open a 3,484-square-foot space at CrossRidge Center across the border in Indian Land, South Carolina.—
Verb
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Bella escaped her family’s Houston, Texas, backyard on a rainy New Year's Eve in 2020.—
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The boyfriend and two of the girls died, but the youngest sister escaped.—
Cite this Entry
“Bugged out.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bugged%20out. Accessed 13 Jan. 2026.
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