bedbug

noun

bed·​bug ˈbed-ˌbəg How to pronounce bedbug (audio)
: a wingless bloodsucking hemipterous bug (especially Cimex lectularius) sometimes infesting houses and especially beds and feeding on human blood

Illustration of bedbug

Illustration of bedbug

Examples of bedbug in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Check our guide on How To Keep Bedbugs Away for tips on how to check your hotel room for bedbugs. — Brandee Gruener, Southern Living, 27 June 2026 In Georgia, chicken farmers are beleaguered by bedbugs, which have hopped from hotel rooms to poultry farms, and from there to workers’ homes. — Burkhard Bilger, New Yorker, 29 June 2026 From a chaotic immigration vote at City Hall to bedbugs sending CDE workers home, Sacramento had no shortage of news this week. — Sacbee.com, 27 June 2026 But that was quickly dismissed after Turkish media reported that their hotel was dealing with a bedbug infestation, with the insecticide gas believed to have seeped into their room through a bathroom ventilation duct. — CBS News, 26 June 2026 See All Example Sentences for bedbug

Word History

First Known Use

1694, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of bedbug was in 1694

Browse Nearby Words

bed book
bedbug
bedbug hunter
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Bedbug.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bedbug. Accessed 8 Jul. 2026.

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Kids Definition

bedbug

noun
bed·​bug ˈbed-ˌbəg How to pronounce bedbug (audio)
: a wingless bloodsucking bug sometimes infesting houses and especially beds

Medical Definition

bedbug

noun
bed·​bug ˈbed-ˌbəg How to pronounce bedbug (audio)
: a wingless bloodsucking bug (Cimex lectularius) sometimes infesting houses and especially beds and feeding on human blood

called also chinch

More from Merriam-Webster on bedbug

Nglish: Translation of bedbug for Spanish Speakers

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about bedbug

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