bug down
C1 neutral intransitive
In simple words
When bugs or small creatures find a hiding spot and settle in to stay safe and warm.
Literal meaning: For bugs to move downward into shelter below a surface.
Meanings
1 C1 neutral
For insects to settle deeply into a sheltered spot, especially to overwinter or hide from predators.
"As the temperature dropped, the beetles bugged down beneath the bark of the old oak tree."
Usage notes
Very uncommon; primarily used in entomological or naturalist writing to describe insects sheltering under bark, leaves, or soil. Not a widely recognized everyday phrasal verb.
Commonly used with
insects beetles bark soil leaf litter winter
Forms
Base
bug down
I/you/we/they
3rd person
bugs down
he/she/it
Past simple
buged down
yesterday
Past participle
buged down
have + pp
-ing form
buging down
continuous
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Synonyms
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