bow out

Bow  (b), Clara Known as "the It Girl." 1905-1965.

American actress whose roles in silent films, such as Mantrap (1926) and It (1927), made her a symbol of the Roaring Twenties.

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bow ¹  (bou)

n. Nautical

1. The front section of a ship or boat.

2. The oar or the person wielding the oar closest to the bow.

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[Middle English boue, probably of Low German origin; see bheug- in Indo-European roots.]

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bow ²  (bou)

v. bowed, bow·ing, bows

v.intr.

1. To bend or curve downward; stoop.

2. To incline the body or head or bend the knee in greeting, consent, courtesy, acknowledgment, submission, or veneration.

3. To yield in defeat or out of courtesy; submit. See Synonyms at yield.

v.tr.

1. To bend (the head, knee, or body) to express greeting, consent, courtesy, acknowledgment, submission, or veneration.

2. To convey (greeting, for example) by bending the body.

3. To escort deferentially: bowed us into the restaurant.

4. To cause to acquiesce; submit.

5. To overburden: Grief bowed them down.

n.

An inclination of the head or body, as in greeting, consent, courtesy, acknowledgment, submission, or veneration.

Phrasal Verb:

bow out

To remove oneself; withdraw.

Idiom:

bow and scrape

To behave obsequiously.

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[Middle English bowen, from Old English bgan; see bheug- in Indo-European roots.]

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bow ³  (b)

n.

1. A bent, curved, or arched object.

2. A weapon consisting of a curved, flexible strip of material, especially wood, strung taut from end to end and used to launch arrows.

3.

a. An archer.

b. Archers considered as a group.

4.

a. Music A rod having horsehair drawn tightly between its two raised ends, used in playing instruments of the violin and viol families.

b. A stroke made by this rod.

5. A knot usually having two loops and two ends; a bowknot.

6.

a. A frame for the lenses of a pair of eyeglasses.

b. The part of such a frame passing over the ear.

7. A rainbow.

8. An oxbow.

v. bowed, bow·ing, bows

v.tr.

1. To bend (something) into the shape of a bow.

2. Music To play (a stringed instrument) with a bow.

v.intr.

1. To bend into a curve or bow.

2. Music To play a stringed instrument with a bow.

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[Middle English bowe, from Old English boga; see bheug- in Indo-European roots.]

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bow out [baʊ]

vb

(adverb; usually tr; often foll by of) to retire or withdraw gracefully

Thesaurus

Verb	1.	bow out - remove oneself from an obligation; "He bowed out when he heard how much work was involved" chicken out, back down, back off, pull out retire, withdraw - lose interest; "he retired from life when his wife died" pull out, get out - move out or away; "The troops pulled out after the cease-fire" resile - pull out from an agreement, contract, statement, etc.; "The landlord cannot resile from the lease"
	2.	bow out - retire gracefully; "He bowed out when he realized he could no longer handle the demands of the chairmanship" withdraw retire - go into retirement; stop performing one's work or withdraw from one's position; "He retired at age 68" retire, withdraw - withdraw from active participation; "He retired from chess"

Translations

? bow out

vi (fig) → sich verabschieden; to bow out of something → sich aus etw zurückziehen