Word of the Day: Bug
There are many different ways to use the word “bug.”
First, a bug can be any type of insect. You don’t have to know the name of the insect. Just call it a bug.
- The bugs come out when the weather is warm.
- Mosquitoes are annoying little bugs.
- I think I swallowed a bug. (This happens accidentally when there are many small flies in the air.)
- Hey, there’s some kind of bug on your shoulder.
- Some type of bug ate the leaves on my apple trees last summer.
- Many bugs are actually useful and necessary for the environment.
- If you’ve got bugs in your house, you should try to get rid of them.
- A bug zapper attracts and kills bugs outside.
A bug can also be a mild form of an illness.
- Ophelia can’t come to work today because she says she caught a bug. (bug = cold or flu)
- There’s a bug going around the office.
- People can get some protection against a flu bug by getting a flu shot.
- I think I caught a bug. (I think I have a cold or the flu.)
The word “bug” is popular as a verb. In this case, it means that a person or a thing is bothering someone:
- Something’s bugging me.
- I can’t stop thinking about this thing that’s bugging me.
- My boss is bugging me about working extra hours.
- Joe’s mother keeps bugging him about his hair, saying that it’s too long.
- No one likes Todd because he bugs people.
- Andrew’s kids bugged him for years and years about getting a swimming a pool, so finally he got one for them.
- All that noise is bugging me.
- What’s been bugging you?
- Am I bugging you?
- Are you busy right now? I don’t want to bug you.
A bug can also be a problem with a computer program or a product:
- There’s a bug in this program. I can’t use it.
- I never use that software. It has too many bugs in it.
- This program feels kind of buggy.
- They’ve worked the bugs out of the system and now it works fine.
Finally, a bug can refer to a big interest in something, especially gold.
- Gold bugs can drive up the price of gold.
- Vanessa’s a gold bug. (She collect a lot of gold.)
- She caught a gold bug.
- Jonah has a bug for antique jewelry.
Essential English Dictionary
Visit the Popular English Words Beginning with B page to see the list of all words starting with letter B. For seeing the HiCafe dictionary, visit the Popular English Words with Meaning page.
