1. remove oneself from an obligation - He bowed out when he heard how much work was involved • Syn: chicken out, back off, pull out, back down • Hypernyms: retire, withdraw • Hyponyms: resile • Verb Group: pull out, get out • Verb Frames: - Somebody ----s - Somebody ----s PP 2. retire gracefully - He bowed out when he realized he could no longer handle the demands of the chairmanship • Syn: withdraw • Derivationally related forms: withdrawal (for: withdraw) • Hypernyms: retire • Verb Group: retire, withdraw • Verb Frames: - Somebody ----s