Synonyms/Hypernyms (Ordered by Estimated Frequency) of verb bow_out

2 senses of bow out

Sense 1
chicken out, back off, pull out, back down, bow out -- (remove oneself from an obligation; "He bowed out when he heard how much work was involved")
       => retire, withdraw -- (lose interest; "he retired from life when his wife died")

Sense 2
bow out, withdraw -- (retire gracefully; "He bowed out when he realized he could no longer handle the demands of the chairmanship")
       => retire -- (go into retirement; stop performing one's work or withdraw from one's position; "He retired at age 68")