bug meaning

bug as a noun

1. general term for any insect or similar creeping or crawling invertebrate

   Type of: insect

   Related forms: buggy

2. a fault or defect in a computer program, system, or machine

   Synonyms: glitch

   Type of: defect

3. a small hidden microphone; for listening secretly

   Type of: microphone

4. insects with sucking mouthparts and forewings thickened and leathery at the base; usually show incomplete metamorphosis

   Synonyms: hemipterous insect, hemipteran, hemipteron

   Type of: insect

   Kinds: leaf bug, lygaeid, coreid bug, bedbug, backswimmer, true bug

5. a minute life form (especially a disease-causing bacterium); the term is not in technical use

   Synonyms: microbe, germ

   Type of: microorganism

bug as a verb

1. annoy persistently
   • The children teased the boy because of his stammer

   Synonyms: tease, badger, pester, beleaguer

   Type of: torment

2. tap a telephone or telegraph wire to get information
   • The FBI was tapping the phone line of the suspected spy
   • Is this hotel room bugged?

   Synonyms: wiretap, tap, intercept

   Type of: listen in

How to pronounce bug

bug is pronounced /bʌɡ/ in British English and /bʌɡ/ in American English. It has 1 syllable.

Words that rhyme with bug

• plug
• hug
• tug
• drug
• slug
• shrug
• jug
• lug
• rug
• chug
• smug
• snug
• dug
• mug
• pug
• thug
• unplug