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 of debug

• 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 the telephony and cognitive integration layers are designed to work together through a clean connective layer, the handoffs between domains stop being yours to debug. — Ran Inbar, Forbes.com, 10 July 2026

Systems can be debugged, patched, reconfigured, and tuned relatively easily. — Amit Chaturvedy, Fortune, 8 July 2026

Developers can build and debug applications for Windows, Linux, containers, mobile devices, and the cloud. — Stackcommerce Team, PC Magazine, 3 July 2026

So the researchers debugged the genome by hand. — Jacek Krywko, Scientific American, 30 Apr. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1901, 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