to bug
- verb
- /bʌɡ/
- I imagine hiring a detective to bug the place.
- bug the phone
- bug a house
- bug a room
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Watch on YouTubeSo it's scarper related because I had two partners with Doherty when I was trying to put the bug in Mulberry St.
- So it's scarper related because I had two partners with Doherty when I was trying to put the bug in Mulberry St.
- Guys, guys, guys, guys, look, these people, after it happened, you bugged people's houses who you suspected of doing this and they never said a word.
Examples
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Why would someone bug my phone?
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Why did you bug our house?
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When the police are trying to bug an apartment, they put a little bug, you know, up in the lamp.
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What we don't know is why they wanted to bug Democratic Headquarters.
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The FBI was bugging her phones and CIA, they were bugging her.
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The detective decided to bug the suspect's home to gather evidence.
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They were able to bug his phone after obtaining a court order.
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If we bug the office meeting, we can uncover the company's secrets.
Synonyms
To secretly listen to phone calls or messages to get information
To secretly listen to someone's phone calls
To secretly listen to someone's phone calls
Idioms
- Informal
Tell someone about an idea so they will think about it later
Phrasal Verbs
Compounds
- US
A large insect that feeds on the sap of plants like squash and pumpkins, often damaging crops
- US
A common North American beetle whose young live on roots and adults eat leaves and flowers
- US
A large bloodsucking bug that bites near the mouth and can spread Chagas disease
- Specialized
An insect with a thin mouth that pierces and sucks fluids, like a water strider
- Specialized
A long-legged bug that eats other insects and sometimes sucks blood from mammals
- Specialized
A small black and white bug that eats grasses like wheat and can damage crops
A small insect with a thin net pattern on its wings and body that feeds on plant leaves
- Specialized
A large insect that sucks blood from people and sometimes spreads disease
A large insect that feeds on plant juices and has leaf-shaped parts on its back legs
- Specialized
A large North American insect with a wheel-shaped crest that eats other insects
- Specialized
A possible computer problem when programs cannot use dates after the year 9999
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
- Specialized
A small insect that feeds on many crop and garden plants and damages fruits
How Covert
Surface Forms
Etymology
To bug someone, meaning 'to secretly install a listening device', comes from the noun bug for the small microphone; the verb simply means 'to place a bug' in a room or on a phone. So saying 'they bugged the office' means they put a secret device to listen.