A debugger is a vital tool in an Integrated Development Environment (IDE) that helps developers identify and correct errors or "bugs" in their code. It allows the developer to run the program step by step, inspect variables, set breakpoints, and analyze the code's behavior during execution. When the code hits a breakpoint, the debugger pauses execution, allowing the developer to examine the state of the program at that specific point. This makes it easier to trace and fix logic errors, runtime errors, or unexpected behavior. Debuggers also often provide detailed error messages, which help in diagnosing complex issues. Without a debugger, finding the root cause of bugs in large codebases can be time-consuming and error-prone.