plural bugs
1
a
: any of an order (Hemiptera and especially its suborder Heteroptera) of insects (such as an assassin bug or chinch bug) that have sucking mouthparts, forewings thickened at the base, and incomplete metamorphosis and are often economic pests
called also true bug
b
: any of various small arthropods (such as a beetle or spider) resembling the true bugs
c
: any of several insects (such as a head louse) commonly considered obnoxious
2
: an unexpected defect, fault, flaw, or imperfection
The software was full of bugs.
3
a
: a microorganism (such as a bacterium or virus) especially when causing illness or disease
b
: an often unspecified or nonspecific sickness presumed to be caused by such a microorganism
a stomach bug
4
: a concealed listening device
5
: a sudden enthusiasm
6
: enthusiast
a camera bug
7
: a prominent person
8
informal + disparaging
: a mentally unsound person
9
[from its designation by an asterisk on race programs]
: a weight allowance given apprentice jockeys
bugged; bugging
2
: to plant a concealed microphone in
: to lose one's composure : freak
—often used with out
bugged; bugging
of the eyes
: to cause to bug
his eyes were bugged with horror
Examples of bug in a Sentence
Noun (1)
a camera bug who loves taking candid shots at fairs and festivals
I can't go to work today because I've caught some bug that's going around
a bug with a fascination for committing arson
Verb (1)
these incessant phone calls are really starting to bug me
I hate to bug you, but could you help me move this table?
Recent Examples on the Web
Bruce Y. Lee, Forbes.com, 11 May 2025
Next season is when all the little things start to bug me.
—Ryan Schwartz, TVLine, 21 Mar. 2025
Adrian Bridgwater, Forbes.com, 29 June 2025
And the protein this baby junco needs to molt its blotchy juvenile feathers and to grow sleek stone-gray feathers on top and white ones below would come only from bugs.
—Madeline Bodin, Smithsonian Magazine, 27 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for bug
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
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Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
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Verb
Say your mother kept bugging you to change a bad habit.
—Bruce Y. Lee, Forbes.com, 11 May 2025
Next season is when all the little things start to bug me.
—Ryan Schwartz, TVLine, 21 Mar. 2025
Noun
Because every new feature, every bug fix and even basic team reorganization becomes a slower and more laborious task.
—Adrian Bridgwater, Forbes.com, 29 June 2025
And the protein this baby junco needs to molt its blotchy juvenile feathers and to grow sleek stone-gray feathers on top and white ones below would come only from bugs.
—Madeline Bodin, Smithsonian Magazine, 27 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for bug
Cite this Entry
“Bug.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bug. Accessed 12 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
bug
1 of 2 noun1
a
: an insect (as a beetle) or other creeping or crawling invertebrate animal (as a centipede)
b
: any of an order of insects (as bedbugs and stinkbugs) that have sucking mouthparts and the forewings part leathery and part membranous and that undergo incomplete metamorphosis
called also true bug
2
: an unexpected mistake or imperfection
a bug in a computer program
3
: a disease-producing germ
also
: a disease caused by it
4
: fan entry 3, enthusiast
a camera bug
5
: a concealed listening device
bug
2 of 2 verb
bugged; bugging
1
: to place a concealed microphone in
3
: freak entry 3
—usually used with out
Medical Definition
bug
noun1
a
: an insect or other creeping or crawling invertebrate animal (as a spider)
—not used technically
b
: any of various insects (as the bedbug or cockroach) commonly considered obnoxious
c
: any of the order Hemiptera and especially of its suborder Heteroptera of insects that have sucking mouthparts, forewings thickened at the base, and that lack a pupal stage between the immature stages and the adult
called also true bug
2
a
: a microorganism (such as a bacterium or virus) especially when causing illness or disease
Enterococcus faecium, an especially nasty bug, often shrugs off even vancomycin, a last-resort antibiotic.—Avery Comarow, U.S. News & World Report
Avery Comarow, U.S. News & World Report
b
: an often unspecified or nonspecific sickness presumed to be caused by such a microorganism
a stomach bug
suffering from the flu bug
Geographical Definition
Bug
geographical name
1
river over 450 miles (720 kilometers) long in central Europe rising in western Ukraine, forming part of Ukraine–Poland and Poland–Belarus borders, and flowing into the Vistula River in Poland
2
river over 500 miles (805 kilometers) long in southwestern Ukraine flowing southeast to the estuary of the Dnieper River
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