bug

¹ American  

[buhg] / bʌg /

noun

1. Also called hemipteron.  Also called true bug, hemipteran.  a hemipterous insect.

2. (loosely) any insect or insectlike invertebrate.

3. Informal. any microorganism, especially a virus.

   He was laid up for a week by an intestinal bug.

4. Informal. a defect or imperfection, as in a mechanical device, computer program, or plan; glitch.

   The test flight discovered the bugs in the new plane.

5. Informal.

   1. a person who has a great enthusiasm for something; fan or hobbyist.

      My wife is a real adventure bug, so we had a pretty thrilling, action-packed holiday.

   2. a craze or obsession.

      He's got the sports-car bug.

6. Informal.

   1. a hidden microphone or other electronic eavesdropping device.

   2. any of various small mechanical or electrical gadgets, as one to influence a gambling device, give warning of an intruder, or indicate location.

7. a mark, as an asterisk, that indicates a particular item, level, etc.

8. Horse Racing. the five-pound weight allowance that can be claimed by an apprentice jockey.

9. a telegraph key that automatically transmits a series of dots when moved to one side and one dash when moved to the other.

10. Poker Slang. a joker that can be used only as an ace or as a wild card to fill a straight or a flush.

11. Printing. a label printed on certain matter to indicate that it was produced by a union shop.

12. any of various fishing plugs resembling an insect.

13. Chiefly British. a bedbug.

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verb (used with object)

Informal.

bugged, bugging

1. to install a secret listening device in (a room, building, etc.) or on (a telephone or other device).

   The phone had been bugged.

2. to bother; annoy; pester.

   She's bugging him to get her into show business.

   Synonyms:

   bait, plague, harass, badger, nag

verb phrase

1. bug off to leave or depart, especially rapidly.

   I can't help you, so bug off.

2. bug out to flee in panic; show panic or alarm.

idioms

1. 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.

bug ² American  

[buhg] / bʌg /

noun

Obsolete.

1. a bogy; hobgoblin.

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Bug ³ American  

[buhg, book] / bʌg, buk /

noun

1. 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.

2. Also called Southern Bug.  a river in SW Ukraine flowing SE to the Dnieper estuary. About 530 miles (850 km) long.

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bug ¹ British  

/ bʌɡ /

verb

1. a past tense and past participle of big 2

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bug ² British  

/ bʌɡ /

noun

1. any insect of the order Hemiptera , esp any of the suborder Heteroptera , having piercing and sucking mouthparts specialized as a beak (rostrum) See also assassin bug bedbug chinch bug

2. any insect, such as the June bug or the Croton bug

3. informal

   1. a microorganism, esp a bacterium, that produces disease

   2. a disease, esp a stomach infection, caused by a microorganism

4. informal an obsessive idea, hobby, etc; craze (esp in the phrases get the bug, be bitten by the bug, the bug bites, etc)

5. informal a person having such a craze; enthusiast

6. informal (often plural) an error or fault, as in a machine or system, esp in a computer or computer program

7. informal a concealed microphone used for recording conversations, as in spying

8. (in poker) a joker used as an ace or wild card to complete a straight or flush

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verb

1. (tr) to irritate; bother

2. (tr) to conceal a microphone in (a room, etc)

3. (intr) (of eyes) to protrude

bug ³ British  

/ bʌɡ /

noun

1. obsolete an evil spirit or spectre; hobgoblin

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Bug ⁴ British  

/ buk /

noun

1. 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)

2. 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)

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bug Scientific  

/ bŭg /

1. An insect belonging to the suborder Heteroptera.

2. See more at true bug

3. An insect, spider, or similar organism. Not in scientific use.

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bug Cultural  

1. A generic term that describes a malfunction of undetermined origin in a computer or other electronic device.

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bug More Idioms  

More idioms and phrases containing bug

• 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

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Usage

What is a basic definition of bug? The word bug is used loosely to mean an insect or creature that resembles an insect. Bug is also used to mean a glitch or imperfection, as in a computer program. Bug is used as a verb to mean to bother or annoy someone. Bug has many other uses as a noun and verb.The word bug is used as a catch-all term for small, creepy pests. In general usage, it is used interchangeably with the word insect to refer to things like ants, bees, beetles, and even spiders.Scientists, though, use the words bug and insect to mean slightly different things. Insect refers to organisms that belong to Insecta, a very large class of animals whose members have a three-part body, six legs, and usually two pairs of wings. Scientists use bug (or true bug) to refer to the members of the order Hemiptera, which is within the Insecta class. Hemiptera members include cicadas, aphids, and stink bugs.

• Used in a sentence: He sat in the tent to try and avoid the bugs outside. 

Bug is used informally to refer to glitches or defects, especially when discussing electronics.

• Used in a sentence: The company didn’t release the new laptop until it had fixed all of the bugs. 

As a verb, bug means to annoy or to bother someone.

• Used in a sentence: Tom was bugged by his son jumping up and down while begging for ice cream.

Discover More

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.

Other Word Forms

• unbugged adjective

Etymology

Origin of bug¹

First recorded in 1615–25; 1885–90 bug ¹ for def. 4; 1910–15 bug ¹ for def. 5a; 1915–20 bug ¹ for def. 14; 1945–50 bug ¹ for def. 15; earlier bugge “beetle,” apparently alteration of Middle English budde, Old English -budda “beetle”; the sense “leave” (in bug off ) is obscurely related to other senses and perhaps is of distinct origin

Origin of bug¹

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English bugge “scarecrow, demon, hobgoblin”; further origin unknown

Example Sentences

But informality and ambiguity remain a feature, not a bug, of China’s approach to coercive economic bargaining.

From The Wall Street Journal

Kelly: You are a dad now - three children - and you've passed the football bug on, I hear?

From BBC

They say that none of the incidents suggest fundamental problems with its products and that the point of testing is to challenge the software, find the bugs and fix them.

From The Wall Street Journal

At age nine, Courtenay became ill suddenly with what was thought to be a stomach bug.

From BBC

At California City Detention Facility, immigrants file lawsuit over alleged ‘shockingly deficient’ medical care, frigid temperatures, bugs crawling on walls, sewage backups, inadequate food and water, and generally ‘decrepit’ conditions.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• breakdown
• defect
• error
• failure
• flaw
• problem
• trouble