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bug

[ buhg ]

/ bʌg /

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See synonyms for bug on Thesaurus.com

noun

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

(loosely) any insect or insectlike invertebrate.

Informal. any microorganism, especially a virus: He was laid up for a week by an intestinal bug.

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.

Informal.

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.
a craze or obsession: He's got the sports-car bug.

Informal.

a hidden microphone or other electronic eavesdropping device.
any of various small mechanical or electrical gadgets, as one to influence a gambling device, give warning of an intruder, or indicate location.

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

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

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

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

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

any of various fishing plugs resembling an insect.

Chiefly British. a bedbug.

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.

OTHER WORDS FOR bug

15 nag, badger, harass, plague, bait.

See synonyms for bug on Thesaurus.com

QUIZ

CAN YOU ANSWER THESE COMMON GRAMMAR DEBATES?

There are grammar debates that never die; and the ones highlighted in the questions in this quiz are sure to rile everyone up once again. Do you know how to answer the questions that cause some of the greatest grammar debates?

Question 1 of 7

Which sentence is correct?

His boss, whom he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

His boss, who he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Idioms about bug

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

First recorded in 1615–25; 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”; the sense “leave” (in bug off) is obscurely related to other senses and perhaps is of distinct origin

OTHER WORDS FROM bug

un·bugged, adjective

Other definitions for bug (2 of 3)

bug²

[ buhg ]

/ bʌg /

noun Obsolete.

a bogy; hobgoblin.

Origin of bug

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

Other definitions for bug (3 of 3)

Bug

[ buhg; Polish, Russian book ]

/ bʌg; Polish, Russian buk /

noun

Also called West·ern 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 South·ern 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. 2023

How to use bug in a sentence

It was using this scanner, which he developed over the course of the last two years, that he was able to speed up the process of finding bugs.
Mobile security startup Oversecured launches after self-funding $1 million, thanks to bug bounty payouts|Zack Whittaker|November 12, 2020|TechCrunch
The update immediately prior to this one fixed a bug that caused users' default mail and browser apps to reset when a device was turned off or restarted.
Apple pushes out iOS 14.1, iMovie updates, and more|Samuel Axon|October 22, 2020|Ars Technica
Rumors are that these indexing bugs and the suspension of this tool are related but Google has not confirmed this.
99% of Google’s indexing issues fully resolved|Barry Schwartz|October 19, 2020|Search Engine Land
There has been a lot of complaints recently, mostly stemming from the ongoing indexing bugs, around Google not indexing content quickly enough.
Google Search Console temporarily drops request indexing feature|Barry Schwartz|October 14, 2020|Search Engine Land

Perhaps this feature now proves to be a bug for general theories of brain function.
Our Mind-Boggling Sense of Smell - Issue 91: The Amazing Brain|Ann-Sophie Barwich|October 14, 2020|Nautilus
That said, Braff has always seemed like a minor irritant, and I never gave any real thought to why he bugged me.
Zach Braff’s Irritating Sense of Entitlement|Andrew Romano|July 18, 2014|DAILY BEAST
I suddenly realized at some point what it was that bugged me about Battlestar Galactica—it was fanfic!
How ‘Battlestar Galactica,’ ‘Game of Thrones,’ and FanFiction Conquered Pop Culture|Arthur Chu|May 6, 2014|DAILY BEAST
It was decided to use the telephone, but because everywhere was bugged the rings would function as messages.
The Spy Who Saved The World—Then Tried To Destroy It|Jeremy Duns|November 3, 2013|DAILY BEAST
As they slip into the quiet of the home, they both wonder if the place has been bugged.
The Man Oswald First Tried to Kill Before JFK|Bill Minutaglio, Steven L. Davis|October 3, 2013|DAILY BEAST
The police planted an undercover officer in the agency, and had the offices bugged.
The Daniel Morgan Murder: An Unsolved Mystery of the Murdoch Hacking Scandal|Peter Jukes|May 10, 2013|DAILY BEAST
When a phone jangled down the corridor, his eyes bugged right at the door.
Hooded Detective, Volume III No. 2, January, 1942|Various
Wain was a smooth customer who bugged his eyes and lost some of his tan when he saw the sheaf of bills.
Deathworld|Harry Harrison
But J. Bayard's programme for helpin' Royce break into the younger set is bugged for fair.
Shorty McCabe on the Job|Sewell Ford
If they have 28 pages of that, they have me doing that kind of talking, and had the room bugged, or whatever you want to say.
Warren Commission (1 of 26): Hearings Vol. I (of 15)|The President's Commission on the Assassination of President Kennedy
Jim's eyes bugged out when he heard that; and I reckon mine did, too.
Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Complete|Mark Twain (Samuel Clemens)

British Dictionary definitions for bug (1 of 4)

bug¹

/ (bʌɡ) /

noun

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

mainly US and Canadian any insect, such as the June bug or the Croton bug

informal

a microorganism, esp a bacterium, that produces disease
a disease, esp a stomach infection, caused by a microorganism

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

informal a person having such a craze; enthusiast

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

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

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

verb bugs, bugging or bugged informal

(tr) to irritate; bother

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

(intr) US (of eyes) to protrude

Word Origin for bug

C16: of uncertain origin; perhaps related to Old English budda beetle

British Dictionary definitions for bug (2 of 4)

bug²

/ (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)

bug³

/ (bʌɡ) /

verb

a past tense and past participle of big 2

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

Scientific 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.

Cultural definitions for bug

bug

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

notes for bug

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 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

bug

OTHER WORDS FOR bug

Idioms about bug

Origin of bug

OTHER WORDS FROM bug

Other definitions for bug (2 of 3)

Origin of bug

Other definitions for bug (3 of 3)

Words related to bug

How to use bug in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for bug (1 of 4)

Word Origin for bug

British Dictionary definitions for bug (2 of 4)

Word Origin for bug

British Dictionary definitions for bug (3 of 4)

British Dictionary definitions for bug (4 of 4)

Scientific definitions for bug

Usage

Cultural definitions for bug

notes for bug

Other Idioms and Phrases with bug