plague
noun
\
Definition of plague
(Entry 1 of 2)
— called also black death
plague
verbDefinition of plague (Entry 2 of 2)
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Synonyms for plague
Synonyms: Noun
Synonyms: Verb
afflict, agonize, anguish, bedevil, beset, besiege, curse, excruciate, harrow, persecute, rack, torment, torture
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Examples of plague in a Sentence
Noun
The country was hit by a plague of natural disasters that year. There has been a plague of bank robberies in the area. a plague that swept through the tribe in the 1600sVerb
Computer viruses plague Internet users. Crime plagues the inner city. Drought and wildfires continue to plague the area.
Recent Examples on the Web: Noun
The small houses—with their tiny backyards, basement kitchens, and outside wash houses—survived plagues, demolitions, and redevelopments. — Sophie Davies, Condé Nast Traveler, "15 Best Museums in Sydney," 23 Mar. 2018 Whatever the cause, researchers said, the sea star larvae that came from the few animals with plague-resistant genetics survived and thrived. — Peter Fimrite, SFChronicle.com, "Starfish on California coast, nearly wiped out by mystery illness, make stunning recovery," 22 June 2018 Trucks from the South bring a plague into the city. — Linda Kinstler, Longreads, "Angrily Experiencing the Best Days of Our Lives," 27 June 2018 In more modern plagues, researchers have placed the blame on the rats—and more specifically on the fleas that drink their blood. — Mika Mckinnon, Smithsonian, "Are Rats Innocent of Spreading the Black Plague?," 17 Jan. 2018 The first mention of ravens at the Tower appears not in the 1600s, when Charles reigned through the years of plague and fire, but during the Victorian age, when gothic revival was all the rage and Charles Dickens kept a raven as a pet. — William Booth, The Seattle Times, "The secrets of the royal ravenmaster at the Tower of London," 26 Oct. 2018 Its May release of Chrome 66 muted sites that played sound automatically, saving internet users from the plague of annoying auto-playing videos. — Adi Robertson, The Verge, "Google is delaying a change that will break old web games — again," 15 Oct. 2018 Buy Photo At the once-bustling Burlington Center mall, extinct department stores perch on the edge of a bleak asphalt sea, spiky weeds bob in the summer breeze, and some trees are dying as if from a plague. — Kevin Riordan, Philly.com, "All sales final: N.J.'s 'worst' and 'saddest' shopping mall is going out of business," 9 July 2018 This has helped protect Chile from plagues, allowing winemakers to grow vines ungrafted, using ancient cultivation techniques. — Eva Vergara, Fox News, "Tourists pick their own grapes at Chile wine harvest fest," 28 Mar. 2018Recent Examples on the Web: Verb
Wednesday’s move came after a tumultuous parliamentary election plagued by allegations of flawed vote counts and other tabulation problems. — James Hookway, WSJ, "Pro-Democracy Parties Challenge Thai Junta’s Grip After Contentious Vote," 27 Mar. 2019 In this classic but controversial choice (for this list anyway), a motley crew slap modified vacuums on their backs and hoover up ghosts around a New York City suddenly plagued by paranormal activity. — Joyce Bautista Ferrari, Marie Claire, "The Best Horror Movies That Aren't Too Scary," 29 Oct. 2018 The island — plagued by the devastation of Hurricane Maria and still struggling to rebuild — has been a US territory since 1898, but has long suffered from widespread American indifference toward, or ignorance of, Puerto Rico’s situation. — Alexia Fernández Campbell, Vox, "Puerto Rico’s push for statehood, explained," 24 Sep. 2018 In a business plagued by counterfeits and all manner of tax evasion and fraud, blockchain digital ledgers may be the best way to track ownership and authenticity across a fragmented market, according to a new report described in the Financial Times. — Brittany Shoot, Fortune, "How Much Bitcoin Would You Spend on a Warhol?," 13 June 2018 Before entering the White House, Kushner sold his stake in 666 Fifth Ave., the Kushner Cos.’ Manhattan building plagued by debt that exceeded $1 billion, to a trust controlled by his mother. — Amy Brittain, BostonGlobe.com, "Jared Kushner, Ivanka Trump made at least $82 million in outside income last year," 12 June 2018 At High School West, the lunch options are healthy -- perhaps surprisingly so for a nation plagued by obesity. — Jenni Marsh, CNN, "Our children's plastic lives seen through lunches," 7 June 2018 The area of Marietta once plagued by crime is now getting a facelift as not just Ikea but Atlanta United and Topgolf competitor Drive Shack move in. — Ben Brasch, ajc, "Marietta mayor talks Ikea and the city’s biggest issue (HINT: traffic)," 6 June 2018 The bright-eyed and optimistic character has gone through some tough times on the show, despite trying to staying away from the crazy drama that has plagued his town. — Tamara Fuentes, Seventeen, "“Riverdale”’s Casey Cott On Saying Goodbye To Moose and Ashleigh Murray’s Big Move to “Katy Keene”," 7 Feb. 2019These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'plague.' 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 plague
plague
noun
English Language Learners Definition of plague
(Entry 1 of 2)
plague
verbEnglish Language Learners Definition of plague (Entry 2 of 2)
See the full definition for plague in the English Language Learners Dictionary
plague
noun
\
Kids Definition of plague
(Entry 1 of 2)
plague
verbKids Definition of plague (Entry 2 of 2)
plague
noun
\
Medical Definition of plague
— called also black death
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