bug

bug · noun

imported

Definitions

noun

  1. 1.

    To annoy or bother someone.

  2. 2.

    A small insect.

  3. 3.

    A fault or error in a computer program or system.

  4. 4.

    To install a hidden microphone.

  5. 5.

    A minor illness caused by a virus or bacteria.

  6. 6.

    A hidden microphone or recording device.

  7. 7.

    An enthusiasm or obsession for something (informal).

Forms

plural: bugs

Phrases & expressions

  • •
    bug someone — to annoy persistently
  • •
    debug — to remove errors from code
  • •
    catch the bug — to become enthusiastic about something
  • •
    bug out — to leave quickly; to bulge (of eyes)
  • •
    as snug as a bug in a rug — very comfortable

Related words

See also: annoy, glitch, insect, virus
Synonyms: defect, glitch, insect, virus

Etymology

Of uncertain origin, possibly from Middle English "bugge" (something frightening, scarecrow). The computing sense dates from the 1940s, popularized by Grace Hopper's account of a moth causing a computer malfunction.