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Definitions

bug

[buhg] / bʌg /
NOUN
bacterium, microorganism
Synonyms






VERB
listen to without permission
Synonyms


Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

The Food and Drug Administration last week said it traced the bug to Taco Bell iceberg lettuce.

From The Wall Street Journal Jul. 22, 2026

More than 1,600 cases of the parasitic bug cyclosporiasis have been confirmed since April, with most in Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio and West Virginia.

From The Wall Street Journal Jul. 22, 2026

Scaling back any sort of surveillance or intelligence system related to that bug is not going to be good.

From Slate Jul. 17, 2026

The lawsuit claims that Liu did not return an Apple-issued work laptop and exploited a “rare, previously unknown” bug to access Apple’s shared network folders while employed at OpenAI.

From MarketWatch Jul. 10, 2026

"Need some bug repellent? Maybe a better diet?"

From "City of the Plague God" by Sarwat Chadda

He said there should be an emphasis on "preserving natural field which provides habitat for insects, bugs, moths and caterpillars that need to incubate underground there."

From BBC Jul. 28, 2026

It’s been a tough time for gold bugs over recent months, but are things about to get better?

From MarketWatch Jul. 20, 2026

The chasteness of Nolan’s version bugs me as it’s insulting he doesn’t trust audiences to grapple with this hero’s moral complexity — and I’m gut-sick that he’s probably right.

From Los Angeles Times Jul. 15, 2026

They’ve pointed to methodology changes in the University of Michigan’s consumer sentiment index as bugs in the machine, saying they are skewing the results.

From The Wall Street Journal Jul. 10, 2026

“I’ll begin eating as many bugs as I can so that I can produce as much webbing as you’ll need.”

From "Healer of the Water Monster" by Brian Young

My department chairman intervened, and I avoided arrest—though a student later told me my apartment was likely bugged.

From The Wall Street Journal Jul. 7, 2026

The couple kept close tabs on their permit applications and bugged Los Angeles County when they felt things weren’t moving fast enough.

From The Wall Street Journal Jun. 20, 2026

“Oh, I bugged everybody from my siblings and neighbors. And I’d kick it with anybody that wanted to give me some attention,” he said.

From Los Angeles Times Jun. 7, 2026

Vice Presidential nominee JD Vance told podcaster Joe Rogan on Thursday that he bugged out from a game of mini-golf after he heard of Donald Trump's assassination attempt.

From Salon Oct. 31, 2024

Or why, as much as Selena bugged me, I felt a little bit bad for her.

From "The First Rule of Punk" by Celia C. Pérez

Detectives turned to a daring undercover operation - bugging Michael Stewart's home and car, placing listening devices on his brother's car, and sending two covert officers into Michael's life.

From BBC Jul. 10, 2026

As though rich people don’t know how to activate the block feature on their phones, and as though bugging them is the way to get them to do what you want.

From The Wall Street Journal Apr. 29, 2026

I’m like, “I have a headphone in my ear and I’m really busy working. You’re kind of bugging me right now.”

From Los Angeles Times Mar. 24, 2026

“What is bugging me is I think our voter rolls may be more accurate than this database,” Phillips said.

From Salon Feb. 27, 2026

I was trying to move past it, but it was really bugging me.

From "When I Was the Greatest" by Jason Reynolds




Vocabulary lists containing bug


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