bugged out

verb

past tense of bug out
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

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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
  1. fled
  2. departed
  3. retreated
  4. exited
  5. bolted
  6. moved
  7. escaped
  8. got
Verb
  • Bethea fled the scene and reportedly made no attempt to report the crash, according to court records.
    — Staff Report, Hartford Courant, 2 Oct. 2026
  • According to police, the suspect was a white male who had a bike and fled the scene.
    — Iris Kwok, Los Angeles Times, 2 Oct. 2026
Definition of fled
Verb
  • Eisner, Diller’s second in command, departed for Disney when he didn’t get promoted, and he was soon followed out the door by another rising young executive, Jeffrey Katzenberg.
    — Mike Barnes, HollywoodReporter, 7 Oct. 2026
  • Bailey departed Burberry in 2018 and was succeeded as chief creative officer by Riccardo Tisci, formerly the creative director at Givenchy (Marco Gobbetti took over Bailey’s CEO role in 2017).
    — Frannie Comstock, Encyclopedia Britannica, 7 Oct. 2026
Definition of departed
Verb
  • On Friday, stocks rallied as yields retreated, following a surprisingly weak September jobs report that suggested the Federal Reserve may stay on hold at this month’s policy meeting.
    — Sarah Min, CNBC, 2 Oct. 2026
  • The militant group took over roughly one-third of Iraq after key Iraqi army divisions collapsed and retreated in the onslaught.
    — Jane Arraf, NPR, 30 Sep. 2026
Definition of retreated
Verb
  • During that time the female lead Rosa Salazar exited, by all accounts a mutual decision, and Fumero came on board.
    — Jesse Whittock, Deadline, 8 Oct. 2026
  • Éric Vallat, a former cognac executive who joined Lacoste as its chief executive officer last year, has exited the brand.
    — Lily Templeton, Footwear News, 7 Oct. 2026
Definition of exited
Verb
  • Today’s approach treats accessibility as part of the architecture rather than something bolted on after a health scare.
    — Ryan Brennan, Kansas City Star, 29 Sep. 2026
  • With third base open, Crews and Abrams bolted, and both slid in safely.
    — Abbey Mastracco, New York Daily News, 26 Sep. 2026
Definition of bolted
Verb
  • Use artificial intelligence to identify people who have moved or changed names.
    — Mark Lewyn, Hartford Courant, 2 Oct. 2026
  • The season has moved beyond introductions, and Saturday offers another chance to learn which teams are built to stay in the postseason conversation.
    — Wilton Jackson, AJC.com, 1 Oct. 2026
Definition of moved
Verb
  • On a scramble of roughly 20 yards, Katz escaped the pocket, broke tackles and juked defenders in the open field to extend the drive.
    — D’Joumbarey Moreau, Miami Herald, 3 Oct. 2026
  • The game itself was one of the best contests of the regular season, as Clark and Cunningham escaped Atlanta with an overtime victory, avenging their earlier losses to Reese and the Dream earlier in the season.
    — Jackson Thompson OutKick, FOXNews.com, 3 Oct. 2026
Definition of escaped
Verb
  • If another worker with a Blue Cross Blue Shield of Texas PPO plan got the same drug at the same Houston Methodist hospital, an employer could be paying almost six times as much, or nearly $4,400 for a vial.
    — Bob Herman, STAT, 5 Oct. 2026
  • A little less than 18 months ago, Ukraine carried out a sneak drone attack in which forces smuggled them into Russian territory and waited until the truck that was unknowingly carrying them got close to Russian bases.
    — Mike Brest, The Washington Examiner, 5 Oct. 2026
Definition of got

Browse Nearby Words

bugged off
bugged out
bugger
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Cite this Entry

“Bugged out.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bugged%20out. Accessed 9 Oct. 2026.

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