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/diːˈbʌɡ/ · de·bug
noun
  1. A session of examining and correcting errors in software or a system. The developers held a debug after the new release crashed on startup.
verb
  1. To locate and fix errors or malfunctions in a computer program or mechanical system. She spent the afternoon debugging the code that kept throwing exceptions.
  2. To remove a hidden electronic surveillance device from a location. The counter‑intelligence team was called in to debug the embassy’s conference room.
  3. To eliminate insects, especially lice, from a person or place. Parents often debug their children's hair during school health checks.
Did you know? The term 'debug' entered popular usage after Grace Hopper taped a moth that caused a malfunction in a Harvard Mark II computer, coining the phrase ‘first actual case of bug being removed’. The incident popularized the metaphor of ‘debugging’ for fixing software errors.
Written by Lexi Wordsworth, Dictionary Editor 0 lookups Added Jul 16, 2026