debugger

noun

de·​bug·​ger (ˌ)dē-ˈbə-gər How to pronounce debugger (audio)
plural debuggers
: a person or thing that debugs something: such as
a
: a programmer who is responsible for eliminating errors in software
Today's heroes are the computer debuggers, who, for heroic fees, fly the world with their stethoscopes to rescue multinational corporations which have been reduced to impotence by one wrongly written line of computer code.Christian Tyler, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, 4 Jan. 1998
b
: a program that automatically checks a section of computer code or a piece of software for errors
In addition, each operating system platform has attracted a full range of development tools. These include languages, debuggers, and development management and control products …Amy D. Wohl, Beyond Computing, October 1995

Word History

First Known Use

1969, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of debugger was in 1969

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Cite this Entry

“Debugger.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/debugger. Accessed 18 Dec. 2025.

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