bug

bug1 [ bʌg ] noun *

▸ 1 insect

▸ 2 infectious illness

▸ 3 computer/program fault

▸ 4 for secret listening

▸ 5 sudden enthusiasm

▸ + PHRASES

1. ) count INFORMAL an insect:

There were bugs crawling all over the kitchen floor.

2. ) count INFORMAL an infectious but usually minor illness:

a flu bug

get/pick up a bug (=develop a sickness): You must have picked up a bug on vacation.

3. ) count a minor fault in a computer system or in a computer program:

The new program still has some bugs in it.

4. ) count a small piece of electronic equipment used for secretly listening to what people are saying:

Detectives had planted (=put) a bug in his hotel room.

5. ) singular INFORMAL a sudden strong enthusiasm for doing something:

be bitten by the travel/fitness/cooking etc. bug (=to suddenly become enthusiastic about it): I'd been bitten by the backpacking bug pretty hard.

put a bug in someone's ear AMERICAN INFORMAL

to tell someone something that suggests what they should do:

I put a bug in his ear about giving Helen a call.

bug

bug 2 [ bʌg ] verb transitive

1. ) INFORMAL to annoy someone:

It really bugs me when people smoke in restaurants.

a ) to continue asking someone to do something in a way that annoys them:

bug someone to do something: She keeps bugging me to paint the kitchen.

2. ) to hide a small piece of electronic equipment somewhere so that you can secretly listen to what people are saying:

He was convinced that his office was bugged.