I. bug 1 S3 /bʌɡ/ BrE AmE noun [countable]
[ Date: 1600-1700 ; Origin: Perhaps from bug 'evil spirit, scarecrow' (14-18 centuries) ]
1 . informal an illness that people catch very easily from each other but is not very serious
catch/pick up/get a bug
I picked up a bug last weekend.
There’s a nasty bug going round (=that a lot of people have caught) .
tummy/stomach bug (=illness affecting your stomach)
He’s off work with a stomach bug.
a 24-hour flu bug
2 . especially American English a small insect
3 . a fault in the system of instructions that operates a computer:
a bug in the software
⇨ ↑ debug
4 . a small piece of electronic equipment for listening secretly to other people’s conversations
5 . informal a sudden strong interest in doing something
the travel/sailing etc bug
She’s got the travel bug.
I had one flying lesson and immediately caught the bug (=became very interested in flying) .
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COLLOCATIONS
■ ADJECTIVES/NOUN + bug
▪ a nasty/horrible bug
It was a really nasty bug.
▪ a stomach bug ( also a tummy bug more informal )
He’s off school with a stomach bug.
▪ a flu bug
We’ve all had a horrible flu bug.
▪ a 24-hour/2-day etc bug
The doctor says it’s just a 24-hour bug.
■ verbs
▪ have a bug
Two of us had a nasty bug on holiday.
▪ catch/get a bug
Six out of ten travellers get a stomach bug abroad.
▪ pick up a bug (=catch one)
He seems to pick up every bug going.
▪ a bug is going around (=a lot of people have it)
A lot of staff are off because there’s a bug going round.
II. bug 2 BrE AmE verb ( past tense and past participle bugged , present participle bugging ) [transitive]
1 . informal to annoy someone:
It just bugs me that I have to work so many extra hours for no extra money.
The baby’s crying is really bugging him.
2 . to put a ↑ bug (=small piece of electronic equipment) somewhere secretly in order to listen to conversations:
Do you think the room is bugged?
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THESAURUS
▪ listen to pay attention to what someone is saying or to a sound that you hear:
I didn’t hear the answer, because I wasn’t listening when she read it out.
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He listened carefully to every word I said.
▪ pay attention to listen carefully to what someone is saying:
I nodded to show I was paying attention.
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She was tired and wasn’t paying attention to what he was saying.
▪ eavesdrop to secretly listen to someone else’s conversation by standing near them, hiding behind a door etc:
I caught him eavesdropping on our conversation.
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They spoke in quiet voices which made it hard to eavesdrop.
▪ overhear to hear someone say something, especially accidentally:
I overheard him say something about wanting to move house.
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Excuse me! I couldn’t help overhearing that you were planning a trip to Thailand.
▪ tune in (to something) to listen to a radio programme, or to someone using a radio ↑ transmitter :
Over a million people tune in to the programme each week.
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Tune in at the same time next week for the next episode.
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The equipment could be used by criminals to tune in to police broadcasts.
▪ tap to connect a piece of electronic recording equipment to a telephone system so that you can listen to people’s telephone conversations:
The police had tapped the phones of all three suspects.
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The President had to resign over an illegal phone-tapping operation.
▪ bug to hide a small piece of electronic recording equipment in someone’s room, car, office etc in order to listen secretly to what is said there:
Security agents bugged their offices and managed to get some evidence against them.
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Wells was convinced the house was bugged and insisted on playing loud music while we talked.