debug

American  

[dee-buhg] / diˈbʌg /

verb (used with object)

debugged, debugging

1. to detect and remove defects or errors from.

2. to remove electronic bugs from (a room or building).

3. Computers. to detect and remove errors from (a computer program).

4. to rid (a garden, plant, etc.) of insect pests, as by the application of a pesticide.

---

debug British  

/ diːˈbʌɡ /

verb

1. to locate and remove concealed microphones from (a room, etc)

2. to locate and remove defects in (a device, system, plan, etc)

3. to remove insects from

---

noun

1. 1. something, esp a computer program, that locates and removes defects in (a device, system, etc)

   2. ( as modifier )

      a debug program

Other Word Forms

• debugger noun

Etymology

Origin of debug

First recorded in 1940–45; de- + bug ¹

Example Sentences

AI agents can already help book your air travel, debug your software and plan your workout routines.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 3, 2026

The quick turnaround raises questions about how much time county officials allotted to debug the software and train employees.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 6, 2025

That should help debug systems and also benefit safety, the researchers say: If an AI is planning something dangerous, a human operator can tell and can intervene.

From Science Magazine • Jan. 8, 2024

Bard will be able to code in 20 programming languages including Java, C++ and Python, and can also help debug and explain code to users, Google said on Friday.

From Reuters • Apr. 21, 2023

He taught that the next step along the path to self-knowledge was to debug those subroutines hidden in our minds at an early age by our teachers and, in particular, by our parents.

From Take Me for a Ride: coming of age in a destructive cult by Laxer, Mark Eliot

Related Words

• unscramble