debug

verb

de·​bug (ˌ)dē-ˈbəg 

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

Synonyms

• amend
• correct
• rewrite
• remedy
• reform

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

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

The remaining time was spent collecting information, reading documentation, helping coworkers, or debugging. —IEEE Spectrum, 1 Aug. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1944, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for debug

• humbug
• prodrug
• unplug
• antidrug
• mealybug
• multidrug
• chug
• doug
• drug
• dug
• hug
• jug

Kids Definition

debug

verb

de·​bug (ˈ)dē-ˈbəg 

: to remove mistakes from

debug a computer program