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In a CS context, I have often come across the expression to back out meaning to say that a function is returned from before performing its actual task, as in this imaginary code comment:

double divide(double dividend, double divisor) {
  if (divisor == 0) {
    return 0; //divisor is zero => back out early
  }
  return (dividend / divisor);
}

Now I recently came across the expression to bail out in just the very same context. I know that to bail somebody out generally means to provide funds to get someone out of a difficult financial situation, so I was wondering if the writer confused to back out and to bail out or if to bail out really has this meaning, too.

Has any one ever heard or read a native speaker of English say or write to bail out of a function? Or, if you're a native speaker, would you say to bail out is also correct here?

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    $\begingroup$ This is more about programming, not Computer Science and even more about English language usage.. Below excerpt "The most abrupt way to bail out is by calling the Standard C abort function, as in:" if (something really bad happened) abort(); You can also check at Stack Overflow by searching for "bail out", for example: stackoverflow.com/questions/8311723/… or docs.python.org/3/c-api/intro.html $\endgroup$ – Evil Mar 8 at 19:04
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    $\begingroup$ Yes, “bail out” is correct here. Check a dictionary. It can be transitive or intransitive. When it's intransitive, it can mean “to get oneself out of a difficult situation”. $\endgroup$ – Gilles 'SO- stop being evil' Mar 8 at 20:35
  • $\begingroup$ That's a slightly different usage of bail. For this one, see the examples under "phrasal verbs" section 1.1 in lexico.com/en/definition/bail#h70131995116240: "discontinue an activity" $\endgroup$ – rici Mar 12 at 15:56
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I understand "to bail out" as to give up permanently; "to back out" is to give up some track, possibly to try something else.

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