1
as in annoyed
to disturb the peace of mind of (someone) especially by repeated disagreeable acts
these incessant phone calls are really starting to bug me
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in bothered
to thrust oneself upon (another) without invitation
I hate to bug you, but could you help me move this table?
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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.
Recent Examples of bugged
Underwood went on The Bachelor as a straight man, made a connection with Randolph, broke up with her, bugged her car, and then was hit with a restraining order.
—
Jason P. Frank, Vulture, 27 Feb. 2026
Instead, Ladinig says Pierre Haobsh bugged Henry Han's computer with a spyware app called a keylogger.
—Natalie Morales, CBS News, 27 Jan. 2026
Feeling good Weathers has been bugged by several injuries over the last few years.
—Brendan Kuty, New York Times, 16 Jan. 2026
The comings and goings of the many planes at the little field bugged the Marine Corps brass and rattled the hens at the chicken ranch that was once right about where Cold War-era bowlers would one day rattle the pins at Frontier Lanes.
—Eric Duvall, San Diego Union-Tribune, 14 Jan. 2026
Carol Meeting Manousos Doesn’t Go As Planned The meeting between the two immediately sparks conflict, with Manousos unwilling to step into Carol’s home or use the translate feature on her phone, suspicious that everything has been bugged.
—Dani Di Placido, Forbes.com, 30 Dec. 2025
The characters muse about the extreme likelihood that their apartments have been bugged.
—Justin Chang, New Yorker, 14 Aug. 2025
Jason P. Frank, Vulture, 27 Feb. 2026
Instead, Ladinig says Pierre Haobsh bugged Henry Han's computer with a spyware app called a keylogger.
—Natalie Morales, CBS News, 27 Jan. 2026
Feeling good Weathers has been bugged by several injuries over the last few years.
—Brendan Kuty, New York Times, 16 Jan. 2026
The comings and goings of the many planes at the little field bugged the Marine Corps brass and rattled the hens at the chicken ranch that was once right about where Cold War-era bowlers would one day rattle the pins at Frontier Lanes.
—Eric Duvall, San Diego Union-Tribune, 14 Jan. 2026
Carol Meeting Manousos Doesn’t Go As Planned The meeting between the two immediately sparks conflict, with Manousos unwilling to step into Carol’s home or use the translate feature on her phone, suspicious that everything has been bugged.
—Dani Di Placido, Forbes.com, 30 Dec. 2025
The characters muse about the extreme likelihood that their apartments have been bugged.
—Justin Chang, New Yorker, 14 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bugged
Verb
-
In the early 1930s, Weill made quite a splash with his Rise and Fall of the City of Mahagonny and Threepenny Opera, but their edgy social commentary and tart music annoyed the Nazis.—
Scott Cantrell,
Dallas Morning News,
6 Mar. 2026
-
The people in line behind me were annoyed, checking their watches and peering ahead trying to figure out what was taking so long.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
5 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
The state party chairman responded that his letter was not aimed at any specific candidate, and that he was not bothered that most candidates did not heed his call to exit the race.—
Seema Mehta,
Los Angeles Times,
10 Mar. 2026
-
The Neo is a product that was once unthinkable from a company that spent years panning the idea of netbooks and never bothered to make a budget laptop of its own.—
Bloomberg,
Mercury News,
10 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
The Knicks would beat the Magic, but Orlando’s physicality has irritated New York over the past two seasons.—
James L. Edwards III,
New York Times,
9 Mar. 2026
-
For a long time your political cartoons published in the editorial pages have irritated me.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
13 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Many small business owners have been worried about having to file individual lawsuits to get their refunds because lawyers have suggested that might be the case.—
Scott Horsley,
NPR,
6 Mar. 2026
-
Regardless of the user, neighbors worried about the impacts of any industrial development to the nearby neighborhoods, city infrastructure, utility bills and schools within miles of the site.—
Taylor O'Connor,
Kansas City Star,
6 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Making up between 8% to 17% of the country’s total population, Iran’s Kurdish minority has long been persecuted under the Islamic Republic.—
John Calabrese,
The Conversation,
7 Mar. 2026
-
The mission said intelligence agencies routinely persecuted political adversaries, falsifying evidence to justify arrests and in some cases resorting to torture, enforced disappearances and extrajudicial killings.—
Antonio María Delgado,
Miami Herald,
25 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Bugged.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bugged. Accessed 12 Mar. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
