debug

verb

de·​bug (ˌ)dē-ˈbəg How to pronounce debug (audio)
debugged; debugging; debugs

transitive verb

1
: to remove insects from
2
: to eliminate errors in or malfunctions of
debug a computer program
3
: to remove a concealed microphone or wiretapping device from
debugger noun

Examples of debug in a Sentence

She's been hired to write and debug computer programs. the computer program ran much faster after it was debugged
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.
After graduating from Princeton University in 1986 with a degree in electrical engineering and computer science, Bezos landed a gig debugging lines of code at a telecommunications startup, Fitel, before working as a product manager for Banker’s Trust, now part of Deutsche Bank. Tom Huddleston Jr., CNBC, 9 Oct. 2025 When new features are developed at AI velocity, those service contracts can break, and debugging the resulting failures often falls on operations. Ronak Desai, Forbes.com, 9 Sep. 2025 Other firms including Alphabet Inc.’s Google are also building tools to help programmers streamline the process of writing and debugging code. Bloomberg, Mercury News, 2 Sep. 2025 Today developers are positioning agents as a more advanced form of chatbot, capable of autonomously making decisions and completing routine tasks, such as navigating a Web browser or debugging computer code. Webb Wright, Scientific American, 18 Aug. 2025 See All Example Sentences for debug

Word History

First Known Use

1944, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of debug was in 1944

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Debug.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/debug. Accessed 14 Oct. 2025.

Kids Definition

debug

verb
de·​bug (ˈ)dē-ˈbəg How to pronounce debug (audio)
: to remove mistakes from
debug a computer program

More from Merriam-Webster on debug

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