bug
1[ buhg ]
/ bʌg /
noun
verb (used with object), bugged, bug·ging. Informal.
to install a secret listening device in (a room, building, etc.) or on (a telephone or other device): The phone had been bugged.
to bother; annoy; pester: She's bugging him to get her into show business.
Verb Phrases
bug off, Slang. to leave or depart, especially rapidly: I can't help you, so bug off.
bug out, Slang. to flee in panic; show panic or alarm.
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What Is The Difference Between A Bug And An Insect?We tend to use the word bug loosely for any very small creature with legs. However, a true bug is defined as belonging to the order Hemiptera. These creatures characteristically have tough forewings and lack teeth, such as beetles. True bugs have a stylet (a mouth shaped like a straw) that they use to suck juices from plants. Insects belong to the class Insecta and they are characterized by three-part bodies, usually two pairs of wings, and …
Nearby words
buffy, buffy coat, bufotalin, bufotenine, bufotoxin, bug, bug light, bug off, bug out, bug-eyed, bug-juice
Idioms
put a bug in someone's ear, to give someone a subtle suggestion; hint: We put a bug in his ear about a new gymnasium.
Origin of bug
11615–25; 1885–90 for def 4; 1910–15 for def 5a; 1915–20 for def 14; 1945–50 for def 15; earlier bugge beetle, apparently alteration of Middle English budde, Old English -budda beetle; sense “leave” obscurely related to other senses and perhaps of distinct orig.
Related forms
un·bugged, adjectiveDefinition for bug (2 of 3)
bug
2[ buhg ]
/ bʌg /
noun Obsolete.
a bogy; hobgoblin.
Origin of bug
21350–1400; Middle English bugge scarecrow, demon, perhaps < Welsh bwg ghost
Definition for bug (3 of 3)
Bug
[ buhg; Polish, Russian book ]
/ bʌg; Polish, Russian buk /
noun
Also called Western Bug. a river in E central Europe, rising in W Ukraine and forming part of the boundary between Poland and Ukraine, flowing NW to the Vistula River in Poland. 450 miles (725 km) long.
Also called Southern Bug. a river in SW Ukraine flowing SE to the Dnieper estuary. About 530 miles (850 km) long.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
Examples from the Web for bug
British Dictionary definitions for bug (1 of 4)
bug
1/ (bʌɡ) /
noun
verb bugs, bugging or bugged informal
See also bug out
Word Origin for bug
C16: of uncertain origin; perhaps related to Old English budda beetle
British Dictionary definitions for bug (2 of 4)
bug
2/ (bʌɡ) /
noun
obsolete an evil spirit or spectre; hobgoblin
Word Origin for bug
C14 bugge, perhaps from Middle Welsh bwg ghost. See also bugbear, bugaboo
British Dictionary definitions for bug (3 of 4)
British Dictionary definitions for bug (4 of 4)
Bug
/ (Russian buk) /
noun
Also called: Southern Bug a river in E Europe, rising in W Ukraine and flowing southeast to the Dnieper estuary and the Black Sea. Length: 853 km (530 miles)
Also called: Western Bug a river in E Europe, rising in SW Ukraine and flowing northwest to the River Vistula in Poland, forming part of the border between Poland and Ukraine. Length: 724 km (450 miles)
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Medicine definitions for bug
bug
[ bŭg ]
n.
A true bug, specifically one having a beaklike structure that allows piercing and sucking.
An insect or similar organism, such as a centipede or an earwig.
A disease-producing microorganism, such as a flu bug.
The illness or disease so produced.
A defect or difficulty, as in a system or design.
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Science definitions for bug
bug
[ bŭg ]
An insect belonging to the suborder Heteroptera. See more at true bug.
An insect, spider, or similar organism. Not in scientific use.
Usage
The word bug is often used to refer to tiny creatures that crawl along, such as insects and even small animals that are not insects, such as spiders and millipedes. But for scientists the word has a much narrower meaning. In the strictest terms bugs are those insects that have mouthparts adapted for piercing and sucking. The mouthparts of these bugs are contained in a beak-shaped structure. Thus scientists would classify a louse but not a beetle or a cockroach as a bug. In fact, scientists often call lice and their relatives true bugs to distinguish them better from what everyone else calls bugs.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Culture definitions for bug
bug
A generic term that describes a malfunction of undetermined origin in a computer or other electronic device.
Note
The term originated in the 1940s when the examination of a large computer revealed that an actual insect had landed on one of the circuits, shorting it out and shutting the machine down.
The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition
Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Idioms and Phrases with bug
bug
In addition to the idioms beginning with bug
- bug off
- bug out
also see:
- cute as a button (bug's ear)
- put a bug in someone's ear
- snug as a bug in a rug
- what's eating (bugging) you
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.