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bug

Syllabification: (bug)
Pronunciation: /bəg/

Translate bug | into French | into German | into Italian | into Spanish
Definition of bug

noun

  • 1a small insect.
  • informal a harmful microorganism, as a bacterium or virus.
  • an illness caused by a harmful microorganism such as a bacterium or virus: suffering from a flu bug
  • [with modifier] informal an enthusiastic, almost obsessive, interest in something:they caught the sailing bug Joe was bitten by the showbiz bug
  • 2 (also true bug) Entomology an insect of a large order distinguished by having mouthparts that are modified for piercing and sucking.
  • 3a miniature microphone, typically concealed in a room or telephone, used for surveillance.
  • 4an error in a computer program or system.

verb (bugs, bugging, bugged)

[with object]
  • 1conceal a miniature microphone in (a room or telephone) in order to monitor or record someone’s conversations:the telephones in the presidential palace were bugged
  • record or monitor (a conversation) by concealing a microphone in a room or telephone.
  • 2 informal annoy or bother (someone):a persistent reporter was bugging me

Phrasal Verbs

bug off

informal go away.

bug out

informal
  • 1leave quickly:if you see enemy troops, bug out
  • 2bulge outward:he did a double take and his eyes bugged out

Origin:

early 17th century: of unknown origin. Current verb senses date from the early 20th century

bug in other Oxford dictionaries

Definition of bug in the British & World English dictionary

Nearby words

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