scourging

verb

present participle of scourge
1
as in ravaging
to bring destruction to (something) through violent action barbarians scourged the countryside, leaving village after village burned to the ground

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in whipping
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

Recent Examples of Synonyms for scourging
  1. ravaging
  2. whipping
  3. destroying
  4. hiding
  5. devastating
  6. slashing
  7. lashing
  8. flogging
Verb
  • The boy was infected with an ultra-rare amoeba known for ravaging the brain.
    — Beth Mole, ArsTechnica, 12 Aug. 2026
  • Julien De Rosa | Afp | Getty Images Firefighters stand by their vehicle as the battle a forest fire in Saint-Jean-d’Illac, some 30km from Bordeaux, on July 26, 2026 as a wildfire has been ravaging the forest north of the Arcachon Basin (Gironde).
    — Sawdah Bhaimiya, CNBC, 27 July 2026
Definition of ravaging
Verb
  • Harrison Ford is whipping back into blockbuster shape, as the 84-year-old is set to return as iconic adventurer Indiana Jones in a new Disney project.
    — Joey Nolfi, Entertainment Weekly, 16 Aug. 2026
  • He’s spent the last week whipping senators to support it and even enlisted former Alabama football coach Nick Saban to dial up undecided lawmakers, according to people familiar with the matter.
    — Burgess Everett, semafor.com, 11 Aug. 2026
Definition of whipping
Verb
  • The show was filmed across Northern Ireland, and the weather proved to be brutal, with the rain constantly destroying sets that had to be rebuilt.
    — Matt Minton, Variety, 18 Aug. 2026
  • The Ukrainian defenders repelled the attack and posted video footage of their kamikaze drone strikes destroying at least seven T-72B3A tanks, including some that carried the Arena-M system, according to Euromaidan Press.
    — Jeremy Hsu, ArsTechnica, 18 Aug. 2026
Definition of destroying
Verb
  • Rather than hiding from the toughest challenges, Hill confronted them head-on despite knowingly taking on some short-term pain and cost.
    — Jeffrey Sonnenfeld, Fortune, 24 Aug. 2026
  • With that $140, York bought himself a lifetime of punchlines at his expense and, presumably, years of hiding from the spotlight.
    — Dieter Kurtenbach, Mercury News, 24 Aug. 2026
Definition of hiding
Verb
  • The ceremony concluded a nearly 20-year struggle that profoundly shaped the latter decades of Caper’s life—a trial marked by devastating grief, institutional rejection, deteriorating health, and extraordinary perseverance.
    — Ethan Rocke, Charlotte Observer, 20 Aug. 2026
  • Major hurricanes can cause wind damage ranging from devastating to catastrophic and significant loss of life from their winds alone.
    — Karina Zaiets, USA Today, 14 Aug. 2026
Definition of devastating
Verb
  • Beijing has moved to insulate itself economically, slashing crude imports nearly 50% since the war started, according to The Wall Street Journal, and bolstering domestic energy.
    — Lauren Morganbesser, semafor.com, 23 Aug. 2026
  • But there’s no sign Washington is serious about slashing the budget or raising taxes.
    — Jason Ma, Fortune, 23 Aug. 2026
Definition of slashing
Verb
  • Lala weakened from a hurricane to a tropical storm Sunday after lashing the state without making landfall.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 17 Aug. 2026
  • The eyewall was forecast to move over or near the island’s southern end by the evening, lashing its worst winds at volcanic slopes thousands of feet above sea level.
    — Dennis Romero, NBC news, 15 Aug. 2026
Definition of lashing
Verb
  • So, that is one gig at a completely unnecessary addition to the sports calendar, created by corporate interests for the sole intention of flogging products to people who do not really like sport… and another at the Enhanced Games.
    — Matt Slater, New York Times, 23 May 2026
  • In an even more meta moment, Amazon interrupted its own Upfront with actual ads with Summer House star Paige DeSorbo flogging certain items to an increasingly frustrated audience.
    — Peter White, Deadline, 11 May 2026
Definition of flogging
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.

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Cite this Entry

“Scourging.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/scourging. Accessed 26 Aug. 2026.

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