bug-eyed

adjective

ˈbəg-ˌīd How to pronounce bug-eyed (audio)
: having the eyes bulging (as with fright)

Examples of bug-eyed 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.
Olivia Miles, the rookie point guard for the Minnesota Lynx, wears a pair of bug-eyed sports goggles, black and bulbous, sometimes held in place by a thick strap that runs through her luxuriant Afro. — Louisa Thomas, New Yorker, 30 Aug. 2026 One attendee was decked out in a T-shirt featuring a bug-eyed alien playing electric guitar, but for everyone else in the room, business attire was the order of the day. — Jeffrey Kluger, Time, 6 Aug. 2026 To date, Zoox’s bug-eyed, boxy robotaxi has driven over 3 million miles on public roads. — Bloomberg, Mercury News, 5 Aug. 2026 There’s a bug-eyed rabbit, a blue donkey and several variations of what appear to be skulls. — Ryan Steven Green, Los Angeles Times, 29 June 2026 See All Example Sentences for bug-eyed

Word History

First Known Use

1872, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of bug-eyed was in 1872

Rhymes for bug-eyed

See All Rhymes for bug-eyed

Browse Nearby Words

bugeye
bug-eyed
bugfish
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Bug-eyed.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bug-eyed. Accessed 1 Sep. 2026.

Copy Citation

Kids Definition

bug-eyed

adjective
-ˌīd
: having the eyes bulging (as in astonishment)
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?

Why does English have so many silent letters?

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

Even More Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
skateboard-dog-hat
Wordmaxxing Slang Quiz Give your vocabulary a glow up by getting sendy w...
See All