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Synonyms

bedbug

American  
[bed-buhg] / ˈbɛdˌbʌg /
Or bed bug

noun

  1. a flat, wingless, bloodsucking hemipterous insect, Cimex lectularius, that infests houses and especially beds.

  2. any of several other bloodsucking bugs bug bugs of the family Cimicidae.

bedbug British  
/ ˈbɛdˌbʌɡ /

noun

  1. any of several bloodsucking insects of the heteropterous genus Cimex , esp C. lectularius of temperate regions, having an oval flattened wingless body and infesting dirty houses: family Cimicidae

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of bedbug

First recorded in 1800–10; bed + bug 1

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

That means that many bedbug encounters go unreported to a government agency, he suggested.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 20, 2024

A bedbug-sniffing dog deployed by the Encore found a live bedbug on Dec. 5 after a guest complained, according to the news station.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 20, 2024

The bedbug break-out during Paris fashion week this fall was obviously horrifying, but the bad news doesn’t stop there.

From Slate • Nov. 19, 2023

In Hong Kong, recent reports of a bedbug sighting on an airport train led to several days of feverish news coverage.

From New York Times • Nov. 18, 2023

The door opened and her Mama came in and told Portia that Miss Brown had said she found a bedbug in her room.

From "The Heart is a Lonely Hunter" by Carson McCullers

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.