Search results for 'bug':

bug¹ noun 1 the common name for any of thousands of insects with a flattened oval body and mouthparts modified to form a beak for piercing and sucking, eg aphids. 2 an insect living in dirty houses, etc and thought of as dirty. 3 N Amer a popular name for any kind of insect. 4 colloq a popular name for a bacterium or virus that causes infection or illness • a nasty stomach bug. 5 colloq a small hidden microphone. 6 colloq a small fault in a machine or computer program which stops it from working properly. 7 colloq an obsession or craze • She caught the skiing bug. verb (bugged, bugging) 1 colloq to hide a microphone in (a room, telephone, etc) so as to be able to listen in to any conversations carried on there. 2 slang to annoy or worry someone. 3 US colloq said of the eyes: to bulge or pop out (like the eyes of certain insects).
ETYMOLOGY: 17c: perhaps connected with Anglo-Saxon budda a beetle.

bug² verb (bugged, bugging) (usually bug out or off) intrans, chiefly US, colloq to leave or retreat quickly, especially in a panic.
ETYMOLOGY: 1950s.