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bedbug

noun

bed·​bug ˈbed-ˌbəg How to pronounce bedbug (audio)
: a wingless bloodsucking hemipterous bug (especially Cimex lectularius) sometimes infesting houses and especially beds and feeding on human blood

Illustration of bedbug

Illustration of bedbug

Examples of bedbug in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Turkish media reported that a product used to kill bedbugs was sprayed in a ground-floor room and may have reached the family’s room through the hotel’s ventilation system. Gul Tuysuz, CNN Money, 19 Nov. 2025 The cruise line also has a dedicated bedbug detection and treatment plan, according to its website. Nathan Diller, USA Today, 7 Nov. 2025 Mattresses And Futons Mattresses, box springs, and futons are often contaminated with allergens and pests like bedbugs. Brandee Gruener, Southern Living, 5 Nov. 2025 And pulled up a 2010 article about a bedbug outbreak at the Google offices in New York. Zoë Schiffer, Wired News, 30 Oct. 2025 See All Example Sentences for bedbug

Word History

First Known Use

1694, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of bedbug was in 1694

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Cite this Entry

“Bedbug.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bedbug. Accessed 29 Nov. 2025.

Kids Definition

bedbug

noun
bed·​bug ˈbed-ˌbəg How to pronounce bedbug (audio)
: a wingless bloodsucking bug sometimes infesting houses and especially beds

Medical Definition

bedbug

noun
bed·​bug ˈbed-ˌbəg How to pronounce bedbug (audio)
: a wingless bloodsucking bug (Cimex lectularius) sometimes infesting houses and especially beds and feeding on human blood

called also chinch

More from Merriam-Webster on bedbug

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