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The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition copyright ©2022 by HarperCollins Publishers. All rights reserved.
bug  (bŭg)
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Tweet n. 1. a. An insect having mouthparts used for piercing and sucking, such as an aphid, a bedbug, or a stinkbug. b. An insect of any kind, such as a cockroach or a ladybug. c. A small invertebrate with many legs, such as a spider or a centipede. 2. a. A disease-producing microorganism or agent: a flu bug. b. The illness or disease so produced: took several days to get over the bug. 3. a. A defect or difficulty, as in a system or design. b. Computers A defect in the code or routine of a program. 4. An enthusiasm or obsession: got bitten by the writing bug. 5. An enthusiast or devotee; a buff: a model train bug. 6. An electronic listening device, such as a hidden microphone or wiretap, used in surveillance: planted a bug in the suspect's room. v. bugged, bug·ging, bugs v.intr. To grow large; bulge: My eyes bugged when I saw the mess. v.tr. Phrasal Verbs: 1. a. To annoy; pester. b. To prey on; worry: a memory that bugged me for years. 2. To equip (a room or telephone circuit, for example) with a concealed electronic listening device. 3. To make (the eyes) bulge or grow large. bug off Slang To leave someone alone; go away. bug out Slang Idiom: 1. To leave or quit, usually in a hurry. 2. To avoid a responsibility or duty. Often used with on or of: bugged out on his partners at the first sign of trouble. put a bug in (someone's) ear Informal To impart useful information to (another) in a subtle, discreet way. [Perhaps alteration (influenced by obsolete bug, hobgoblin; see BUGBEAR) of Middle English boude, budde, beetle, weevil, from Old English -budda as in scearnbudda, dung beetle; akin to Low German dialectal budde, louse.] bugger n. |
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition copyright ©2022 by HarperCollins Publishers. All rights reserved.
