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to bug

to bug

12 7.5
To secretly put a small microphone in a place to listen
  • verb
  • /bʌɡ/
translation icon : instalar un micrófono oculto
  • I imagine hiring a detective to bug the place.
  • bug the phone
  • bug a house
  • bug a room

So it's scarper related because I had two partners with Doherty when I was trying to put the bug in Mulberry St.

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Examples

  • Why would someone bug my phone?

  • Why did you bug our house?

  • When the police are trying to bug an apartment, they put a little bug, you know, up in the lamp.

  • What we don't know is why they wanted to bug Democratic Headquarters.

  • The FBI was bugging her phones and CIA, they were bugging her.

  • The detective decided to bug the suspect's home to gather evidence.

  • They were able to bug his phone after obtaining a court order.

  • If we bug the office meeting, we can uncover the company's secrets.

Synonyms

to intercept
vsto bug
65 7.3

To secretly listen to phone calls or messages to get information

emphasizes installing a hidden device in a room as well as on lines
to tap
vsto bug
62 8.2

To secretly listen to someone's phone calls

can be done by installing a device in a room or on a line
to wiretap
vsto bug
5 7.5

To secretly listen to someone's phone calls

also covers hiding a device in a room rather than only on telephone lines

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

Phrasal Verbs

5 8.0

To have your eyes stick out because you are surprised or shocked

to bug off
  • Informal
4 8.9

Tell someone to go away and leave you alone

to bug-out
  • Slang
3 8.2

To leave a place quickly to escape danger

to bug-out
  • Slang
8.8

To react suddenly with fear and lose control

to bug-out
  • Informal
8.2

To have your eyes stick out because you are surprised

6.7

To fix a problem in a computer program quickly

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 Covert

to wiretap
5 7.5
to bug
12 7.5
to eavesdrop
23 5.0
to listen in
  • Informal
57 5.0

Surface Forms

bug infinitive
bugged past
bugged past participle
bugging present participle
bugs third person singular

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.