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Definition of "bedbug" [bed•bug]

  • A wingless odorous insect (Cimex lectularius) with a flat reddish body that infests dwellings and bedding and feeds on human blood. Also called regionally chinch, chinch bug. (noun)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Use "bedbug" in a sentence
  • "After an employee complained, officials sent in bedbug-sniffing dogs, which detected the pests in two cubicles and a small storage area on the fourth floor - apparently in the Africa bureau - according to an e-mail we received late Monday."
  • "On Aug. 10, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) issued a consumer alert about off-label bedbug treatments, warning in particular of the dangers of using outdoor pesticides in homes."
  • ""The term bedbug can be a misnomer," says Henriksen."