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bug

bug

25 7.6
A small hidden microphone used to listen to conversations secretly
  • noun
  • /bʌɡ/
: micrófono oculto
  • After searching the room thoroughly, she finally discovered the bug concealed behind the bookshelf.

There's like the sighting device that that they used to find the bug inside Neo.

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Examples

  • The agents monitor the conversation through the bug Ben is wearing.

    Fiction book (1999)
  • Batcave - that moment - on Bruce as he listens through his concealed bug.

    Fiction book (1992)
  • All we do is plant a bug and we can hear everything he says.

  • If there were electronic bugs and tiny hidden cameras to plant, he would do that as well.

    Academic text (2002)
  • OK, what we are looking at here is a list of every wiretap and bug that was put on Martin Luther King.

  • So you say, but Interpol's got these new listening bugs.

  • Baker switches on a tiny bug mic and we faintly hear the conversation in Arabic.

    Fiction book (1996)
  • Inside the briefcase were listening bugs, installation equipment, and compromising photos of the Senator with Christa.

    Fiction book (1998)
  • The red-eyed mechanical bug is still attached to Indiana's trousers. Indiana glares at Betsy.

    Fiction book (1990)
  • The detective found a bug hidden inside the lamp to monitor the suspect's conversations.

Synonyms

wiretap
vsbug
13 5.6

A device or way to secretly listen to phone calls

uses a small concealed listening device to capture in-room spoken conversations
spike microphone
vsbug
  • Specialized
1 9.9

A small microphone placed against a wall that picks up sounds on the other side

is concealed to listen secretly to nearby conversations in various settings
spike mike
vsbug
  • Specialized
1 9.9

A small pointed microphone that you press against a wall to hear sounds in the next room

is hidden to overhear conversations directly rather than only through structures

Idioms

1 7.2

Being very comfortable and warm under blankets

to swallow a bug
  • Informal
1 9.8

To look surprised and uncomfortable

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

Compounds

19 2.1

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

14 7.5

Having big eyes that stick out and look surprised

7 5.8

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

6 2.8

A small insect that makes a soft light at night

bug-out
  • Jargon
3 7.8

Ready to use in an emergency to leave quickly

2 4.1

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

2 3.5

An insect that gives off a strong bad smell when threatened

1 7.4

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

1 5.7

A black and yellow beetle that eats potato leaves

1 8.4

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

stink bug
  • Offensive
1 8.4

An unpleasant person who annoys others

1 6.7

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

1 4.8

A small light brown cockroach that lives in houses

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

bug-out
  • US
1 8.3

A quick plan to leave a place because of danger

1 6.0

A small land animal that rolls into a ball when touched

1 6.4

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

1 6.0

A small bright insect that feeds on the juice inside plants

May bug
  • UK
1 7.5

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

1 7.3

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

1 9.1

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

true bug
  • Specialized
1 8.1

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

assassin bug
  • Specialized
1 8.8

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

chinch bug
  • Specialized
1 9.8

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

sow bug
  • US
1 7.9

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

1 8.1

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

conenose bug
  • Specialized
1 9.9

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

1 9.3

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

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

1 6.5

A person who studies insects like beetles

1 9.9

A large insect that sucks blood and can spread Chagas disease

bug-hunter
  • Jargon
1 4.0

A person who finds and reports software bugs and security problems

wheel bug
  • Specialized
1 9.9

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

Y10K bug
  • Specialized
1 9.9

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

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

lygus bug
  • Specialized
1 9.9

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

bug storm
  • Jargon
7.9

A sudden large number of software errors that cause system problems

A small insect whose young eat wool carpets and clothes

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

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

lygaeid bug
  • Specialized
9.9

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

mirid bug
  • Specialized
9.9

A small insect that feeds on plants, usually on leaves

tarnished plant bug
  • Specialized
9.6

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

How Hidden

bug
25 7.6
microphone
247 1.7

Surface Forms

bug singular
bugs plural

Etymology

The word bug for a hidden listening device comes from the image of a small insect hiding quietly in a room, because the device is tiny and secret. So if someone finds a bug in a meeting room, it means a secret microphone was placed there.