buggy

buggy — noun

1. a very small vehicle, often open at the top, used for short trips in places such

1.noun
Definition

a very small vehicle, often open at the top, used for short trips in places such as resorts, golf courses, or beaches.

Example

We rode a buggy across the sand to the beach huts.

The hotel sent a buggy to carry guests up the steep hill.

buggy for short transport

Common collocations
  • golf buggy
  • beach buggy
  • hotel buggy
  • drive a buggy
Synonyms
  • cart

    broader and often simpler in shape; not always open or motorized

  • runabout

    older term for a small light vehicle

  • golf cart

    more specific, used especially on golf courses

Grammar Patterns

ride in a buggy

drive a buggy

buggy + for guests/golf/beach use

Usage Note

Often used for small open vehicles in special settings rather than for an ordinary family car. Common nearby words are golf, beach, hotel, and resort.

Common Mistakes

We took a buggy to the office downtown.
We took a car to the office downtown.
This sense usually refers to a small special-use vehicle, not a normal road car.

2. a fold-up seat on wheels used for pushing a baby or young child from place to pl

2.noun
Definition

a fold-up seat on wheels used for pushing a baby or young child from place to place.

Example

Ravi folded the buggy before putting it into the car.

collocation: fold the buggy

Aisha pushed the buggy slowly through the crowded market.

collocation: push the buggy

Common collocations
  • push a buggy
  • fold a buggy
  • baby in a buggy
  • park the buggy
Synonyms
  • stroller

    common modern term, especially in American English

  • pushchair

    common British term for a similar item

  • pram

    often suggests a larger baby carriage, especially for very young babies

Grammar Patterns

push a buggy

fold a buggy

baby in a buggy

Usage Note

Common with verbs like push, fold, lift, and park. The child sits in the buggy while another person moves it.

Common Mistakes

Please sit the baby on the buggy.
Please sit the baby in the buggy.
A child sits in a buggy, not on it.

3. a light passenger vehicle from earlier times, with one horse in front and room f

3.noun
Definition

a light passenger vehicle from earlier times, with one horse in front and room for a small number of riders.

Example

The couple arrived in a horse and buggy for the fair.

collocation: horse and buggy

Children waved as the farmer's buggy rolled through town.

Common collocations
  • horse and buggy
  • ride in a buggy
  • old buggy
  • farm buggy
Synonyms
  • carriage

    broader term for horse-drawn passenger vehicles

  • cart

    usually simpler and often meant for goods, not passengers

  • wagon

    normally larger and more strongly linked to carrying loads

Grammar Patterns

ride in a buggy

horse and buggy

old/farm buggy

Usage Note

Mostly historical and often used when talking about life before cars. The fixed phrase horse and buggy is especially common.

buggy — adjective

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: adjective/1

For adjective/1, buggy is the most natural everyday word for software, apps, games, or updates that contain errors and behave strangely. Glitchy is more informal and often suggests small but repeated problems, especially with screens, games, or streaming. Faulty is broader and can describe hardware, wiring, or any product with a defect, so it is less tied to computing. Unstable is common in technical writing when a system crashes, freezes, or changes state unexpectedly. Broken is the strongest simple word and often suggests that something does not work at all. A game can be buggy if some levels fail, but broken if it will not even start.

glitchyfaultyunstable ↗broken ↗

Etymology

English

The adjective buggy was formed in English from bug plus the ending -y and first meant 'full of bugs.' After bug also came to mean an error in a machine or computer program, buggy developed the computing sense as well. The noun buggy appeared in the 18th century for a light horse-drawn vehicle, but its exact origin is uncertain. Later, the noun was also used for a baby's wheeled chair and for small open motor vehicles.