debugger

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UK/diːˈbʌɡə(ɹ)/Northern England/diːˈbʊɡə/US/diˈbʌɡəɹ/

noun

A computer program that helps the user to test and debug other programs, by enabling their step-by-step execution controlled by the user, setting of breakpoints, and monitoring values of variables.

Less commonScrabble 13

Meanings

noundebugger (plural debuggers)

plural debuggers

  1. computingA computer program that helps the user to test and debug other programs, by enabling their step-by-step execution controlled by the user, setting of breakpoints, and monitoring values of variables.

    6. Memorandum PDP-23, ID Invisible Debugger, August 20, 1964.

    1965 January 15, J. B. Dennis, “Computer Research”, in Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Research Laboratory of Electronics. Quarterly Progress Report, no. 76, Cambridge, Massachusetts: Research Laboratory of Electronics (RLE) at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), archived from the original on 03 Jul 2010, page 360
    1 more example

    Invisible Debugger, commonly referred to as ID, a utility program in the PDP-1 time sharing system written to aid in the debugging of other programs. An advanced ID has been written (April, 1966) to allow all operations to be carried out either directly on drum fields or on running cores.

    1966 May 20, MIT Electrical Engineering Department, chapter ID, in PDP-23-1, Cambridge, Massachusetts: Massachusetts Institute of Technology, archived from the original on 18 Feb 2011, page 1

Origin

  1. Proto-Indo-European*de
  2. Proto-Indo-European*déh₁
  3. Proto-Italic*dē
  4. Latindē
  5. Latindē-
  6. Englishde-
  7. Englishbug
  8. Englishdebug
  9. Englishdebugger

From debug + -er.

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Bulgarian дебъ́гер
  • дебъ́гер (debắger)computer program
Chinese Mandarin 調試器 /调试器, 調試程序 /调试程序
  • 調試器 /调试器 (tiáoshìqì)computer program
  • 調試程序 /调试程序 (tiáoshì chéngxù)computer program
  • 調試工具 /调试工具 (tiáoshì gōngjù)computer program
Czech debugger
  • debuggercomputer program
Dutch debugger
  • debuggercomputer program
Finnish virheenkorjausohjelma, debuggeri
  • virheenkorjausohjelmacomputer program
  • debuggericomputer program
French débogueur, débugueur
  • débogueurcomputer program
  • débugueurcomputer program
German Debugger
  • Debuggercomputer program
Greek αποσφαλματωτής
  • αποσφαλματωτής (aposfalmatotís)computer program
Hebrew דבאגר
  • דבאגרcomputer program
Hungarian hibakereső
  • hibakeresőcomputer program
Icelandic kembiforrit
  • kembiforritcomputer program
Indonesian pengawakutu, perunut
  • pengawakutucomputer program
  • perunutcomputer program
Italian debugger
  • debuggercomputer program
Japanese デバッガ
  • デバッガ (debagga)computer program
Korean 디버거
  • 디버거 (dibeogeo)computer program
Malay penyahpepijat
  • penyahpepijatcomputer program
Māori pūpatuiro
  • pūpatuirocomputer program
Polish odpluskwiacz, debugger
  • odpluskwiaczcomputer program
  • debuggercomputer program
Portuguese debugger, depurador
  • debuggercomputer program
  • depuradorcomputer program
Romanian depanator
  • depanatorcomputer program
Russian отла́дчик, деба́ггер
  • отла́дчик (otládčik)computer program
  • деба́ггер (debágger)computer program
Spanish depurador
  • depuradorcomputer program
Swedish avlusare
  • avlusarecomputer program
Vietnamese trình gỡ lỗi
  • trình gỡ lỗicomputer program

Rhymes & wordplay

Rhymes with debugger

All rhymes →

Anagrams

Cite this entry
APA

debugger. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/debugger

MLA

“debugger.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/debugger. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “debugger,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/debugger.

Source: debugger on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.