as in harassment
the act of making unwelcome intrusions upon another
this perpetual bugging while I'm working is driving me nuts!
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
1
as in bothering
to disturb the peace of mind of (someone) especially by repeated disagreeable acts
these incessant phone calls are really starting to bug me
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in worrying
to thrust oneself upon (another) without invitation
I hate to bug you, but could you help me move this table?
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of bugging
Sarah Linn
april 24, Sacbee.com, 24 Apr. 2026
So, all the things people were yelling about with Southwest weren’t bugging me.
—Lisa Gutierrez, Kansas City Star, 21 Mar. 2026
But so much of my journalism has been about something that’s bugging me.
—Jack Denton, Vulture, 18 Mar. 2026
And also, Bill has to be home and also not bugging me.
—Joey Nolfi, Entertainment Weekly, 3 Mar. 2026
Clara could hear Dune’s sister, Fern, in the background bugging Dune to resume their chess game.
—Literary Hub, 2 Mar. 2026
Co-worker bugging you during heads down time?
—Sam Woodward, USA Today, 10 Oct. 2025
Verb
Although pest control companies offer lethal solutions such as carpenter bee traps or chemical treatments, the best way to keep carpenter bees from bugging you is using stained, sealed, varnished or treated wood in building projects.
—Sarah Linn
april 24, Sacbee.com, 24 Apr. 2026
So, all the things people were yelling about with Southwest weren’t bugging me.
—Lisa Gutierrez, Kansas City Star, 21 Mar. 2026
But so much of my journalism has been about something that’s bugging me.
—Jack Denton, Vulture, 18 Mar. 2026
And also, Bill has to be home and also not bugging me.
—Joey Nolfi, Entertainment Weekly, 3 Mar. 2026
Clara could hear Dune’s sister, Fern, in the background bugging Dune to resume their chess game.
—Literary Hub, 2 Mar. 2026
Co-worker bugging you during heads down time?
—Sam Woodward, USA Today, 10 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bugging
Noun
-
Sports betting can tempt athletes to manipulate games or lead them to face harassment from gamblers upset with their performance.—
Michael McCann,
Sportico.com,
27 Apr. 2026
-
According to the court documents, Vasquez reported the mistreatment after Thanksgiving 2024, and in response, the harassment escalated.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
27 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Yusei Kikuchi said throwing fastballs was bothering him again, so the Los Angeles Angels pitcher left Wednesday's 3-2, 10-inning loss to the Chicago White Sox after two innings with left shoulder tightness.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
29 Apr. 2026
-
Please order Keegan to make a pre-bathroom coffee for both of us for one week and then stop bothering me about it.—
John Hodgman,
New York Times,
24 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Medieval schoolmen worrying over Aristotle could be pedants; so could cultivated female salonnières in seventeenth-century Paris.—
Clare Bucknell,
The New York Review of Books,
25 Apr. 2026
-
The technology intentionally comes lacking a human face, and its evangelists have both over-promised regarding what the tools can do in the short term while worrying people about the long-term societal impacts.—
Jacob Feldman,
Sportico.com,
23 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
But since that ridge shifted from Northern California in early April, the new pattern has invited multiple low-pressure disturbances into the region.—
Rick Hurd,
Mercury News,
27 Apr. 2026
-
About 4% of those students — or roughly 300,000 students — are labeled with emotional disturbance.—
Laurie Stern,
NPR,
26 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Sometimes, rage bait can be relatively harmless – a recipe that contains disgusting food combinations or someone annoying their pet, partner or sibling.—
Issy Ronald,
CNN Money,
1 Dec. 2025
-
But what’s been annoying me even more is that these women should have been trained by producers to start recording on their own cell phones if drama starts to unfold after cameras go down.—
Tom Smyth,
Vulture,
12 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
Beneficial for the Atlantic but irritating to many beachgoers – sargassum is set to pile up across South Florida’s beaches again this summer.—
Sarah Perkel,
USA Today,
22 Apr. 2026
-
Sure, there are worse problems to have in life, but there’s no denying that fruit flies are irritating.—
Christine Fiorentino,
Southern Living,
12 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Saddam towered over Iraq’s political regime for nearly 30 years, plunging the country into multiple destructive wars, persecuting his own citizens and inflicting widespread trauma and suffering.—
David Faris,
TheWeek,
24 Apr. 2026
-
The order also accused the Cuban government of persecuting political opponents, suppressing free speech and the press, and committing other human rights violations—actions that have been documented by human rights organizations over the years.—
Chad de Guzman,
Time,
17 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Plane tickets are getting pricier After jumping to $209 a barrel in early April, the global price of jet fuel eased last week to around $179, still well above the roughly $99 at the end of February.—
Mae Anderson,
Chicago Tribune,
1 May 2026
-
Since getting sober, Holland's life has been a whirlwind.—
Charles Trepany,
USA Today,
1 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Bugging.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bugging. Accessed 1 May. 2026.
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