debug
Americanverb (used with object)
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to detect and remove defects or errors from.
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to remove electronic bugs from (a room or building).
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Computers. to detect and remove errors from (a computer program).
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to rid (a garden, plant, etc.) of insect pests, as by the application of a pesticide.
verb
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to locate and remove concealed microphones from (a room, etc)
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to locate and remove defects in (a device, system, plan, etc)
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to remove insects from
noun
Other Word Forms
- debugger noun
Etymology
Origin of debug
Vocabulary lists containing debug
Computer Science and Technology - Middle School
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Computer Science and Technology - High School
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
New AI tools like Claude Code help write and debug software faster, and spin up a website or a marketing plan.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 4, 2026
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
Ji Qiming, assistant director general of the China Manned Space Program’s engineering office, said that the Shenzhou 15 astronauts would first debug equipment aboard the newly completed space station.
From New York Times • Dec. 12, 2022
Imperfect systems infuriate hackers, whose primal instinct is to debug them.
From Hackers, Heroes of the Computer Revolution Chapters 1 and 2 by Levy, Steven
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
