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

to bug-out

8.2
To have your eyes stick out because you are surprised
  • phrasal verb
  • /bʌɡ aʊt/
  • Informal
translation icon : salirse (los ojos)
  • I mean, they just were froze, like eyes bugged out like, what is this?

I mean, they just were froze, like eyes bugged out like, what is this?

Examples

  • So I looked down in this kids head was this flat and his eyes were bugged out of his head.

  • So I look down and this kids head was this flat and his eyes were bugged out of his head.

  • When the loud noise startled him, his eyes bugged out in shock.

  • The clown's silly antics made the children gasp and their eyes bug out in surprise.

  • She opened the mystery box, and her eyes bugged out when she saw what was inside.

Synonyms

to pop out
vsto bug-out
21 3.1

To come out quickly from a surface or container

is used for bulging that may not be sudden
to bug out
vsto bug-out
5 8.0

To have your eyes stick out because you are surprised or shocked

has identical meaning and the same use for surprised eye bulging
to bulge out
vsto bug-out
3 3.7

To stick out in a round shape, like a pocket or balloon

focuses specifically on eye bulging from surprise or shock
to goggle
vsto bug-out
2 6.1

To look with eyes wide open because you are surprised

describes an actual bulging of eyes, not merely staring

How Bulging

to pop out
21 3.1
to bug-out
  • Informal
8.2
to bulge
7 2.9
to protrude
31 5.8

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 (semi-transparent) = bug + out

The 'out' component suggests protrusion, but the 'bug' element and its relation to eyes bulging is colloquial and may not be fully predictable.

Etymology

The verb bug-out for eyes bulging links to the phrase 'bug-eyed', where a bug's round eyes seem to stick out, so to bug-out your eyes is to make them bulge with surprise.