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Glite Dictionary
😱 To panic 🏃 To escape quickly 🎒 For emergencies 🏃 A fast escape 👀 To bulge out
to bug-out

to bug-out

8 8.8
To react suddenly with fear and lose control
  • phrasal verb
  • /bʌɡ aʊt/
  • Slang
: entrar en pánico
  • She was bugging out because of the exam.

No, like a lobster just bugging out like that.

Examples

  • Try not to bug-out if things don't go exactly as planned.

  • He tends to bug-out whenever he has to speak in public.

  • When the fire alarm went off, several students started to bug-out and ran for the exits.

  • She bugged out at the news of the storm.

  • When he saw the bear approaching, he began to bug out and ran back to the cabin in panic.

  • She started to bug out when she realized she had lost her wallet in the busy market.

  • The sudden noise from the fireworks caused her to bug out and flee the scene in fear.

Synonyms

to freak
vsto bug-out
  • Informal
865 7.1

React very strongly and lose control because of fear or shock

is a sudden fearful panic rather than any strong emotional reaction
to freak out
vsto bug-out
  • Informal
734 6.8

To become very upset or afraid suddenly and lose control

is a sudden panic reaction centred on fear and loss of composure
to flip out
vsto bug-out
  • Informal
63 7.2

To suddenly lose control and become very angry or upset

is driven more by sudden fear and panic than by anger
to wig out
vsto bug-out
  • Informal
19 9.2

React with strong fear or excitement and lose control

is specifically a sudden fearful panic rather than any strong emotion
to trip out
vsto bug-out
  • Informal
13 8.6

Become very upset or excited and act confused suddenly

is narrower, meaning a sudden fear or panic with loss of control
to fly off
vsto bug-out
  • Informal
8 5.3

To suddenly get very angry without warning

is a sudden fearful panic reaction rather than an anger outburst
to go into a tizzy
vsto bug-out
  • Informal
1 8.3

Get very upset and confused quickly

is focused on sudden fear or panic rather than general agitation or confusion
to chimp out
vsto bug-out
  • Offensive
1 9.9

To panic suddenly and lose control

is similar but emphasises a quick fear response and loss of composure

Antonyms

to keep a cool head
3 3.9

Stay calm and not get angry or excited in a difficult situation

How Panicked

to freak out
  • Informal
734 6.8
to bug-out
  • Slang
8 8.8
to panic
381 2.3
to keep one's cool
  • Informal
1 3.4

Surface Forms

bug-out infinitive
bugged out past
bugged out past participle
bugging out present participle
bug-outs third person singular

Morphology

bug-out = bug + out (opaque) = bug + out

The sense 'to panic or lose composure' is idiomatic and not derivable from the literal meanings of 'bug' + 'out' for typical learners.

Etymology

A helpful way to remember the verb bug-out meaning to panic is to think of a bug acting wild or frightened, so to bug-out here is to react with sudden fear and lose your calm.