scourge
noun
\ ˈskərj
, ˈskȯrj, ˈsku̇rj\
, ˈskȯrj, ˈsku̇rj\
Definition of scourge
(Entry 1 of 2)
2
: an instrument of punishment or criticism
3
: a cause of wide or great affliction
scourge
verb
scourged;
scourging
Definition of scourge (Entry 2 of 2)
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Synonyms for scourge
Synonyms: Noun
Synonyms: Verb
destroy, devastate, ravage, ruin
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Examples of scourge in a Sentence
Noun
a city ravaged by the scourge of unemployment The disease continues to be a scourge in the developing world.Verb
a neighborhood scourged by crime The prisoner was scourged with a whip.
Recent Examples on the Web: Noun
In the context of the hepatitis scourge that ravaged people living on the street, things have improved. — San Diego Union-Tribune, "Column: Why San Diego will never ‘solve’ homelessness," 21 Aug. 2019 The size of the annual scourge depends on how much rain falls on Northeast Indiana, Southeast Michigan and Northwest Ohio between March and July, how heavy the rain is and how much phosphorus runs off farms into the Maumee River, and then Lake Erie. — Laura Johnston, cleveland.com, "Scientists to test water samples across Lake Erie for annual HABs grab," 7 Aug. 2019 Legislation in the works to combat the scourge of mass shootings in the United States may have a greater impact on an even deadlier problem. — NBC News, "'Red flag' laws could reduce gun violence — but not how some lawmakers say," 13 Aug. 2019 And now after mass shootings in El Paso, Texas and Dayton, Ohio, Congress again is confronted with the question of what, if anything, lawmakers should do to combat the scourge of gun violence afflicting the country. — Matthew Daly, BostonGlobe.com, "After shootings, Congress again weighs gun violence response," 5 Aug. 2019 And now after mass shootings in El Paso, Texas and Dayton, Ohio, Congress again is confronted with the question of what, if anything, lawmakers should do to combat the scourge of gun violence afflicting the country. — Matthew Daly, Twin Cities, "After shootings, Congress again weighs gun violence response," 5 Aug. 2019 Its proponents tout its potential to save lives, ease traffic, and free us from the scourge of driving. — Dan Albert, Vox, "Driverless cars are coming. We’ll miss the thrill of the ride.," 21 June 2019 The scourge of overlong television episodes—as has been thoughtfully documented by Kathryn VanArendonk at Vulture—is a reaction to the rise of prestige television. — Sophie Gilbert, The Atlantic, "The TV Is Too Damn Long," 9 June 2019 Opiate addiction has ruined tens of thousands of lives, and no surprise politicians in cahoots with their trial-lawyer friends are trying to cash in on the scourge. — The Editorial Board, WSJ, "The Government Opioid Raid," 28 Jan. 2019Recent Examples on the Web: Verb
After a wet few years in the Great Lakes basin, the Lake Michigan water levels tied a record July high from 1986 — and that’s less than six years after record low levels scourged the region in 2013. — Sophie Carson, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "The water levels on Lake Michigan tied a 33-year-old record high this July. Boaters are seeing the effects," 5 Aug. 2019 Powerful air armadas scourged German defenses, with 750 to 1000 Flying Fortresses and Liberators mauling bridges, railroad targets and airfields in an arc 100 to 150 miles south of the beachhead. — Houston Chronicle, "FIRST INVASION GOAL REACHED," 9 June 2019 Since then, as The Los Angeles Times reported, the resulting blaze had scorched 121,000 acres, destroyed 1,564 buildings, killed six, and scourged the city of Redding and the surrounding area, a little over 200 miles north of San Francisco. — Lauren Young, Teen Vogue, "California Wildfires Are Proof of Climate Change, According to Governor Jerry Brown," 2 Aug. 2018 From their first dogfights in December 1941 until their contracts expired in July 1942, the Tigers scourged the enemy with breathtaking courage. — Gregory Crouch, WSJ, "‘The Flying Tigers’ and ‘A Few Planes for China’ Review: Tigers Over a Rising Sun," 19 July 2018 The single-use plastic straw — colorful, functional and handed out in bunches — has suddenly shifted from consumer staple to scourge, projected by some critics to foul ecosystems for an eon. — Robert Channick, chicagotribune.com, "From a South Side plastics factory to McDonald's HQ, Chicago is on the front lines of anti-straw push," 11 June 2018 There also will be a scourging pillar, a Roman lance, and a life-size corpus on the cross that portrays a dramatic scene, as well as various other items of that time. — Joanne Berger Dumound/special To Cleveland.com., cleveland.com, "Local lecturer brings world class Shroud of Turin exhibit to Greater Cleveland," 19 Feb. 2018 Any progressive politician who wants to gain power has to find common interests with some of them, without waiting for the day of reckoning first to scourge white Americans of their original sin. — Rosa Inocencio Smith, The Atlantic, "The Atlantic Daily: Mission and Missile," 15 Sep. 2017 While historic extremes of weather recently scourged Texas, Washington’s summer was largely without extremes, based on National Weather Service data released Friday. — Martin Weil, Washington Post, "Washington area’s summer months come to end largely without extremes," 1 Sep. 2017These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'scourge.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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More Definitions for scourge
scourge
noun
English Language Learners Definition of scourge
(Entry 1 of 2)
formal + literary
: someone or something that causes a great amount of trouble or suffering
: a whip that was used to punish people in the past
scourge
verbEnglish Language Learners Definition of scourge (Entry 2 of 2)
formal + literary
: to cause a lot of trouble or suffering for (someone or something)
: to hit (someone) with a whip as punishment
See the full definition for scourge in the English Language Learners Dictionary
scourge
noun
\ ˈskərj
\
\
Kids Definition of scourge
(Entry 1 of 2)