debug

Everyday

1. (computers) To find and fix the mistakes (bugs) in a computer program. tree →
2. To find and fix problems in any plan or machine. tree →
3. (rare) To remove insects or hidden listening devices from a place. tree →

In the lessons

In coding lessons debugging means running the program, seeing what goes wrong, finding the line with the mistake and fixing it — step by step. Phrases: «debug the code», «a debugging tool», «debug your program».

Examples

• Our robot kept turning left, so we had to debug the program. tree →
• Debugging means finding the mistake and fixing it. tree →
• It took me ten minutes to debug my Scratch game. tree →
• The teacher showed us how to debug by testing one step at a time. tree →
• Good programmers spend lots of time debugging. tree →
• We debugged our plan for the school fair after the first test run. tree →
• The spy movie showed agents debugging a hotel room. tree →

Note

Past form «debugged», «-ing» form «debugging» (double g). Noun «a bug» = a mistake in a program. A famous story says the word «bug» came from a moth found in an early computer, but people already used «bug» for faults before that — a common myth.