1
as in ravaged
to bring destruction to (something) through violent action
barbarians scourged the countryside, leaving village after village burned to the ground
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in whipped
to strike repeatedly with something long and thin or flexible
scourge the tree with a whip to loosen the bark
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of scourged
These scourged the poor harder than anyone else.
—
Edward Lotterman, Twin Cities, 31 Aug. 2025
Edward Lotterman, Twin Cities, 31 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for scourged
Verb
-
Then, a year after the Palisades wildfires ravaged Southern California, destroying his home, Pratt, 42, announced his bid for Los Angeles mayor.—
James Ward,
USA Today,
4 June 2026
-
The year before, his hometown of Mexico City had been ravaged by a massive earthquake.—
Carlos Aguilar,
Los Angeles Times,
4 June 2026
Verb
-
As conquerers of the Eastern Conference, the New York Knicks have whipped all five boroughs into a frenzy.—
Esfandiar Baraheni,
New York Times,
3 June 2026
-
Costume bit the tenant’s hands and cheek during the struggle, then whipped a knife out of his pocket and stabbed the tenant in the back of the neck, the tenant said.—
Julian Roberts-Grmela,
New York Daily News,
1 June 2026
Verb
-
Russian air defenses intercepted and destroyed more than 350 Ukrainian drones over territories both close to the border but also as further afield as Moscow, St Petersburg, and Novgorod in the country’s west, according to the Russian Ministry of Defense.—
Helen Regan,
CNN Money,
3 June 2026
-
Twelve people were killed, including two young boys, in the southeastern city of Dnipro, where a four-story apartment building was partially destroyed, local officials said.—
Valentyn Ogirenko,
USA Today,
2 June 2026
Verb
-
Trump has lashed out at NATO and threatened to withdraw in recent months over alliance members’ reluctance to get involved in the Iran war.—
J.D. Capelouto,
semafor.com,
3 June 2026
-
This torturous ordeal marked Mee’s first time entering this cave, located in the foothills of a mining project near the village of Long Tieng, hours away from the nearest cities and on muddy roads that have been lashed by the rainy season.—
Kocha Olarn,
CNN Money,
31 May 2026
Verb
-
Let’s hope that wisdom returns today to support humanitarian aid for war devastated nations.—
William Lambers,
Hartford Courant,
6 June 2026
-
Meanwhile, Mason was left devastated, according to his parents.—
Cara Lynn Shultz,
PEOPLE,
5 June 2026
Verb
-
Carolina was in a state of disarray in the third, and after going on a power play, Sebastian Aho slashed Marner, who was headed to the net on a short-handed breakaway.—
Matt Reigle,
FOXNews.com,
7 June 2026
-
Sumner barely escaped death; his head and shoulders were slashed to the bone.—
Rob Wolfe,
The Atlantic,
5 June 2026
Verb
-
The same day that the nanny allegedly beat Walter, other caregivers slapped and flogged his siblings, including with shoes and wooden sticks.—
Ava Kofman,
New Yorker,
11 May 2026
-
The media flagged and flogged it for AI incompetence.—
Jim Cramer,
CNBC,
25 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Rojas slapped a single up the middle to put the Royals ahead.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
6 June 2026
-
According to the affidavit, another pupil was allegedly slapped in the face three times.—
Ben Brachfeld,
PEOPLE,
3 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Scourged.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/scourged. Accessed 10 Jun. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
