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
Verb
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Temperatures have risen in oceans faster due to climate change, super-charging storms and drought, ravaging coral reefs across the world, and endangering species in tandem with overfishing and industrial pollution.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
4 June 2026 -
And with injuries ravaging Canada’s back line, Sigur has the quality to quickly become an important part of their World Cup.—
Joshua Kloke,
New York Times,
1 June 2026
Verb
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Vargas is accused of repeatedly whipping the cab’s hood with a belt, denting it, cops said.—
Colin Mixson,
New York Daily News,
16 June 2026
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But listening to Magazine—their new 10-track, 11-minute album—that artful density becomes singular, swaying as much as whipping between its frantic ideas.—
Nina Corcoran,
Pitchfork,
12 June 2026
Verb
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For decades, factories discharged pollution into waterways and wetlands, destroying natural habitats and forcing residents to live in the shadow of smokestacks and refineries.—
Gretchen Kalwinski,
Chicago Tribune,
12 June 2026
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In my view, Iran is hellbent on destroying Israel and America.—
Letters to the Editor,
The Orlando Sentinel,
12 June 2026
Verb
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Resourceful and determined to remain unseen, Becky is hiding deep in the woods while planning her own escape.—
Angelique Brenes,
PEOPLE,
18 June 2026
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Consider, too, that another longtime passion of Swift’s is hiding in plain sight.—
Kase Wickman,
Vanity Fair,
18 June 2026
Verb
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But Saeta, which has been outfitting the team since coming to its rescue after the country’s devastating 2010 earthquake, has been struggling to keep up with demands, creating an opening for designers and other vendors selling unofficial merchandise.—
Jacqueline Charles,
Miami Herald,
10 June 2026
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The British government refused to subsidize food prices or restrict exports of Irish agricultural goods, further devastating the island.—
Katy Waldman,
New Yorker,
1 June 2026
Verb
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On his left, slashing toward the box, was Messi and Martinez found him beautifully.—
Kyle Feldscher,
CNN Money,
17 June 2026
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Under the hood, the AMD Ryzen 7 processor is more than capable of handling everyday business tasks with ease, slashing through spreadsheets and punching up presentations with Windows 11 Copilot power.—
K. Thor Jensen,
PC Magazine,
15 June 2026
Verb
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Hurricane Fiona pummeled Puerto Rico in September 2022 as a Category 1 storm, lashing once more a power grid that hadn’t been rebuilt from Hurricane Maria.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
12 June 2026
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Lately, though, the president has upset religious conservatives by posting a Christ-like image of himself online as well as lashing out at Pope Leo and the Vatican.—
Francesca Chambers,
USA Today,
9 June 2026
Verb
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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
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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
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Cite this Entry
“Scourging.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/scourging. Accessed 20 Jun. 2026.
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