bug
gb/bˈʌɡ/ us/bˈʌɡ/
A1
Anglais
~ 2100
Sens
0 sens
Nom
A1
entity
1
Small insect or similar creature
A very small animal with six legs, like an ant or beetle.
Schéma d’usage :
a [type of] bug
Erreur fréquente :
Learners sometimes confuse 'bug' with only meaning 'insect', but in casual English it can also mean germs or computer errors.
Synonymes
insect (More general scientific term for small arthropods; 'bug' is less formal and broader.)
Antonymes
predator (Refers to a larger animal that hunts other creatures, opposite in scale and role to a small bug.)
Collocations
bed bug
|ladybug
|catch a bug
|insect bug
|bug bite
Thèmes
nature
|daily life
|animals
Exemples
- There’s a strange bug crawling on the wall.
- I think a bug bit me while I was sleeping.
- Some bugs are actually good for your garden.
- She screamed when a bug landed on her shoulder.
Exemples pédagogiques
- I see a bug on the table.
- A bug is on my hand.
- The bug is very small.
- A bug is in the garden.
Nom
B1
entity
2
Error in software or hardware
A problem in a computer program that makes it not work right.
Schéma d’usage :
a [serious/minor] bug
Erreur fréquente :
Learners may confuse 'bug' with 'virus'; a virus is malicious software, while a bug is an unintentional error.
Synonymes
glitch (A minor and often temporary fault; 'bug' can be more general.)
Antonymes
feature (A designed function of software, opposite of an unintended fault.)
Collocations
software bug
|fix a bug
|debug code
|bug report
Thèmes
technology
|computers
Exemples
- The developer fixed a critical bug in the app.
- This update should remove most of the bugs.
- They found a bug that caused the program to crash.
Exemples pédagogiques
- The game has a bug.
- We need to fix the bug.
- The bug stops the program.
Nom
informal
A2
entity
3
Mild contagious illness
A short illness, like a cold or stomach sickness.
Schéma d’usage :
a [stomach/flu] bug
Erreur fréquente :
Learners may think 'bug' always means insect; in health contexts it means illness.
Synonymes
virus (More technical and specific to cause; 'bug' is informal and general.)
Antonymes
health (The state of being well and free from illness, opposite of having a bug.)
Collocations
catch a bug
|stomach bug
|flu bug
Thèmes
health
|daily life
Exemples
- I think I caught a stomach bug.
- There’s a flu bug going around at work.
- He missed school because of a nasty bug.
Exemples pédagogiques
- I have a bad bug.
- She caught a bug at school.
- The bug made me sick.
Verbe
informal
B1
action
4
To annoy or bother repeatedly
To make someone feel annoyed again and again.
Schéma d’usage :
to bug [someone] about [something]
Erreur fréquente :
Learners may confuse 'bug' (annoy) with 'bite' or 'sting' from insects due to shared noun sense.
Synonymes
bother ('Bother' is more neutral; 'bug' is more informal and casual.)
Antonymes
please (To make someone happy, opposite of annoying them.)
Collocations
really bug someone
|stop bugging me
|bug you about
Thèmes
emotions
|daily life
|relationships
Exemples
- It really bugs me when people are late.
- Stop bugging your sister about her homework.
- His constant questions started to bug her.
Exemples pédagogiques
- Loud music bugs me.
- He bugs me every day.
- She bugs him about his phone.
Nom
B2
entity
5
Hidden microphone for spying
A small machine put in a place to hear people secretly.
Schéma d’usage :
plant/hide a bug [somewhere]
Synonymes
wiretap ('Wiretap' refers to intercepting phone calls; 'bug' can be in any location.)
Antonymes
privacy device (A device that prevents eavesdropping, opposite of a listening device.)
Collocations
plant a bug
|hidden bug
|detect a bug
Thèmes
security
|technology
|law
Exemples
- The agents found a bug hidden under the table.
- They planted a bug in his office to gather evidence.
- The meeting room was swept for bugs before the talks began.
Exemples pédagogiques
- They found a bug in the room.
- A spy put a bug under the desk.
- The police put a bug in the car.
Grammaire
Forme canonique
bug
API
GB/bˈʌɡ/
US/bˈʌɡ/
Syllabes et accentuation
bug (1 syllabe)
Stress on 1st syllable (bug)
Formes du mot
Noun
- Base: bug
- Plural: bugs
Verb
- Base: bug
- 3rd Person Singular: bugs
- Present Participle: bugging
- Past: bugged
Famille de mots
Forms
bugs
noun
bugging
verb
bugged
verb
Core family
buggy
adjective
Related words
Advanced or less common
debugging
noun
debugger
noun C1
Points clés
- Irregular present participle: bugging Verb
- Irregular past: bugged Verb
Expressions
catch the bug
1/kˈæt͡ʃ ðə bˈʌɡ/
idiom
informal
Become very interested in something suddenly
To start liking something very much and want to keep doing it.
Exemples
- After her first dance class, she really caught the bug.
- He caught the travel bug after visiting Italy.
debug
1/dibˈʌɡ/
fixed phrase
technical
Find and remove errors from code
To find and fix problems in computer programs.
Exemples
- We need to debug this code before release.
- She spent hours debugging the app yesterday.
put a bug in someone's ear
1/pˈʊt ə bˈʌɡ ˈɪn sˈʌmwˌʌnz ˈɪɹ/
idiom
informal
Suggest an idea indirectly to someone
To tell someone something in a way that makes them think about it later.
Exemples
- She put a bug in his ear about applying for the job.
- I’ll put a bug in her ear and see what she thinks.