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to bug

to bug

85 3.7
To annoy someone by bothering them repeatedly
  • verb
  • /bʌɡ/
  • Informal
translation icon : molestar
  • Sorry to bug you again.
  • sorry to bug
  • really bugs me
  • things bug me

And it might not be, but that sort of bugs me a little bit.

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Examples

  • He keeps bugging me for updates about the project, and it can be quite annoying.

  • Yeah, but you know what bugs me about the whole thing?

  • I know how that must bug you.

  • You know how that can bug a guy, right?

  • As I was saying, my dad really bugs me sometimes.

    Fiction book (1997)
  • I admire my dad, but he bugs me sometimes.

    Fiction book (1997)
  • I should get this fixed... otherwise it'll bug me all night.

  • I promise, I won't bug you again.

  • OK, Cyclops lady is starting to bug me.

  • Every time I come home, she bugs me for a new button blanket design.

    Academic text (1994)

Synonyms

to annoy
vsto bug
246 1.0

Make someone slightly angry or bothered by small repeated actions

is more about ongoing bothering beyond slight or occasional irritation
to tease
vsto bug
245 1.9

To make fun of someone in a way that annoys them

is straightforward persistent bothering without the playful provocation element
to irritate
vsto bug
78 2.9

Make someone feel annoyed or impatient, often by repeated small actions

is a general persistent bothering often framed as continuous irritation
to rile
vsto bug
63 6.9

Make someone annoyed, often by small things

is about ongoing bother that can be more general than brief irritation
to hassle
vsto bug
47 4.4

To bother someone again and again

covers the same persistent bother but without focusing on inconvenience
to badger
vsto bug
39 4.7

To annoy someone by asking them the same thing many times

is about persistent annoyance generally, not necessarily pressure or nagging
to pester
vsto bug
34 3.2

To annoy someone by asking for things again and again

is broader, covering persistent annoyance beyond repeated asking or interruptions
to get on someone's nerves
vsto bug
  • Informal
7 4.9

To bother someone again and again until they feel angry

is similar but stresses persistent bothering rather than the phrase's casual tone
to peck
vsto bug
3 8.0

To annoy someone with small, repeated complaints

is wider, covering persistent annoyance beyond mere petty complaints
to stick in one's craw
vsto bug
  • Informal
3 9.9

To feel angry or bitter about something unfair that you cannot forget

is general persistent annoyance rather than deep, lasting resentment
to bedevil
vsto bug
2 8.2

Cause ongoing trouble and confusion for people or things

is about repeated bothering in everyday situations rather than deep trouble
to beleaguer
vsto bug
2 8.6

To trouble or annoy someone again and again

is the everyday persistent annoyance without the heavier sense of siege
to niggle
vsto bug
  • UK
1 7.6

To keep someone feeling slightly worried or annoyed

focuses more on active bothering rather than quiet, nagging unease
to devil
vsto bug
  • UK
8.3

To annoy someone again and again with small problems

is broader persistent bothering rather than those specific small disturbances
to enbug
vsto bug
  • Jargon
9.9

Cause problems in software or apps that annoy people

is everyday interpersonal bothering rather than technical problem causing

Antonyms

216 1.0

To make someone happy or satisfied

172 1.0

To make someone feel less upset or in pain

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 Annoying

to torment
  • NSFW
107 7.2
to harass
302 4.0
to pester
34 3.2
to bug
  • Informal
85 3.7
to bother
1.0

Surface Forms

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

Etymology

To bug someone, meaning 'to annoy', likely comes from the older idea of a little trouble-making spirit or creature that bothers you. That's why when something bugs you it makes you feel irritated or troubled.