buggy

¹ American  

[buhg-ee] / ˈbʌg i /

adjective

buggier, buggiest

1. infested with bugs.

   We spent one last muggy, buggy summer at the campsite up North, then started vacationing in the Southwest.

2. Computers. (of software) containing errors or imperfections that reduce reliability, performance, or user experience.

   The game’s load times were slow, and the autosave was buggy.

3. Slang. crazy; insane; peculiar.

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buggy ² American  

[buhg-ee] / ˈbʌg i /

noun

plural

buggies

1. a light, four-wheeled, horse-drawn carriage with a single seat and a transverse spring.

2. (in India) a light, two-wheeled carriage with a folding top.

3. baby carriage.

4. Older Slang. an automobile, especially an old or dilapidated one.

5. a small wagon or truck for transporting heavy materials, as coal in a mine or freshly mixed concrete at a construction site, for short distances.

6. Metallurgy. a car, as for transporting ingots or charges for open-hearth furnaces.

7. any of various small vehicles adapted for use on a given terrain, as on sand beaches or swamps.

8. British. a light, two-wheeled, open carriage.

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buggy ¹ British  

/ ˈbʌɡɪ /

noun

1. a light horse-drawn carriage having either four wheels (esp in the US and Canada) or two wheels (esp in Britain and India)

2. short for beach buggy

3. short for Baby Buggy See baby carriage

4. a small motorized vehicle designed for a particular purpose

   golf buggy

   moon buggy

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buggy ² British  

/ ˈbʌɡɪ /

adjective

1. infested with bugs

2. slang insane

3. informal (of a system or machine, esp a computer program) containing errors or faults

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Usage

What does buggy mean? As an adjective, buggy means full of bugs or infested with bugs. This can literally refer to insects, as in a buggy swamp, or it can refer to the kind of bugs found in software or machines—glitches and programming errors.As a noun, buggy refers to a small, wheeled cart or other vehicle, especially a horse-drawn carriage (often called a horse and buggy). There are several different vehicles that can be called a buggy.Example: The beta version of the app is a little buggy, so we’ll need to do some additional testing before we release it to the users.

Other Word Forms

• bugginess noun

Etymology

Origin of buggy¹

First recorded in 1690–1700; bug ¹ + -y ¹

Origin of buggy²

First recorded in 1750–60; of obscure origin

Example Sentences

Technical advances including improved chips have helped overcome early problems with poor battery life, buggy software, and stumbling conversations that tainted early pendant models.

From Barron's

The Army is thinking boats, buggies and bombardment.

From The Wall Street Journal

Had he played by the rules, though, maybe we’d still be riding horses and buggies to the West.

From The Wall Street Journal

He makes more than $100,000 a year—a significant increase from his previous pay—cruising around on a buggy under floodlights, overseeing deliveries and equipment and ensuring everything stays on schedule.

From The Wall Street Journal

His show horses, who were named Bill and Frank, transported our family in a horse-drawn buggy.

From Literature