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bug

bug

110 4.6
A tiny germ that can make people ill
  • noun
  • /bʌg/
  • Informal
translation icon : bicho (informal)
  • I'm sick with the bug that got Belle and Eve the last few days.

IBS overlaps with having stomach bugs or like a stomach illness.

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Examples

  • These are microscopic bugs in our intestines.

  • You don't know how many people this bug could be incubating in, do you?

    Fiction book (1993)
  • You may have heard there are bugs in your gut, but do they matter?

    ZOE
  • Brian had a stomach virus, or Ted suffered from that twenty-four-hour bug that seemed to be going around.

    Fiction book (2000)
  • We lived in barracks, four families to a house, with plenty of bugs, plenty of sickness, and vermin.

    Academic text (1994)
  • IBS overlaps with having stomach bugs or like a stomach illness.

    ZOE
  • I think I caught a bug after eating at that restaurant last week.

  • The bug that made everyone sick at the office seems to be going around.

  • She was feeling unwell because of a bug that is spreading through the community.

Synonyms

germ
vsbug
138 1.0

A tiny living thing that can make people ill

is a casual word used instead of that neutral biological term
microbe
vsbug
62 5.1

A very small living thing, like a bacterium, that can cause disease

is the casual name used instead of scientific terms
pathogen
vsbug
  • Specialized
50 5.7

A tiny germ like a virus or a bacterium that causes disease in people and animals

is the informal, nontechnical label rather than a precise scientific term

Idioms

1 7.2

Being very comfortable and warm under blankets

Tell someone about an idea so they will think about it later

to swallow a bug
  • Informal
9.8

To look surprised and uncomfortable

Compounds

84 2.1

A small insect with no wings that lives in beds and bites people at night

4 2.8

A small insect that makes a soft light at night

4 7.5

Having big eyes that stick out and look surprised

bug-out
  • Jargon
2 7.8

Ready to use in an emergency to leave quickly

1 5.8

A large brown beetle seen in late spring that often flies to lights

1 3.5

An insect that gives off a strong bad smell when threatened

1 5.7

A black and yellow beetle that eats potato leaves

bug-out
  • US
1 8.3

A quick plan to leave a place because of danger

1 9.1

A large bloodsucking bug that bites near the mouth and can spread Chagas disease

1 6.7

A small bright insect that feeds on plant juices, often on leaves

1 6.4

A small insect with a white, cottony covering that eats and harms plants

1 7.3

A common North American beetle whose young live on roots and adults eat leaves and flowers

true bug
  • Specialized
1 8.1

An insect with a thin mouth that pierces and sucks fluids, like a water strider

stink bug
  • Offensive
1 8.4

An unpleasant person who annoys others

9.3

An insect that moves on water using paddle-like back legs to eat small animals

bug storm
  • Jargon
7.9

A sudden large number of software errors that cause system problems

7.4

A person or object with big eyes that stick out, like a car headlight

A person who studies insects like beetles

bug-hunter
  • Jargon
4.0

A person who finds and reports software bugs and security problems

A small insect whose young eat wool carpets and clothes

chinch bug
  • Specialized
9.8

A small black and white bug that eats grasses like wheat and can damage crops

conenose bug
  • Specialized
9.9

A large insect that sucks blood from people and sometimes spreads disease

A large insect that sucks blood and can spread Chagas disease

coreid bug
  • Specialized
9.9

A bug with a long body and often widened hind legs that feeds on plants

9.5

A small light brown cockroach that often lives in kitchens and houses

assassin bug
  • Specialized
8.8

A long-legged bug that eats other insects and sometimes sucks blood from mammals

A small yellow or orange bug with four black stripes that makes spots on plant leaves

A small yellow insect with four black stripes on its back that feeds on plants

8.1

A small insect with a thin net pattern on its wings and body that feeds on plant leaves

A large insect that sucks plant sap and has leaflike hind legs

A large insect that feeds on plant juices and has leaf-shaped parts on its back legs

lygaeid bug
  • Specialized
9.9

A small brightly colored insect that eats crops and damages fruit trees

lygus bug
  • Specialized
9.9

A small insect that eats plants and can spread disease to crops

May bug
  • UK
7.5

A large brown beetle that appears in late spring and whose young eat plant roots

mirid bug
  • Specialized
9.9

A small insect that feeds on plants, usually on leaves

A large water insect that eats small fish and other water animals

6.0

A small land animal that rolls into a ball when touched

6.0

A small bright insect that feeds on the juice inside plants

tarnished plant bug
  • Specialized
9.6

A small insect that feeds on many crop and garden plants and damages fruits

sow bug
  • US
7.9

A small grey animal with a hard oval body that lives under stones and logs

8.4

A large insect that feeds on the sap of plants like squash and pumpkins, often damaging crops

4.8

A small light brown cockroach that lives in houses

4.1

A large insect with long legs that lives on the surface of water

wheel bug
  • Specialized
9.9

A large North American insect with a wheel-shaped crest that eats other insects

Y10K bug
  • Specialized
9.9

A possible computer problem when programs cannot use dates after the year 9999

How Harmful

superbug
  • Specialized
7 6.7
pathogen
  • Specialized
50 5.7
bug
  • Informal
110 4.6
germ
138 1.0
microbe
62 5.1

Surface Forms

bug singular
bugs plural

Etymology

Bug for a sickness comes from the idea of a tiny creature making you ill, like an insect inside your body. So when doctors say 'you have a bug', they mean a small germ or infection.