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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With disease ravaging Earth, Cooper (Matthew McConaughey) leads a group of astronauts out on an incredibly dangerous mission through a wormhole on a last-ditch attempt at finding somewhere else to live.—
Grace Dean,
Space.com,
2 May 2026 -
The Thunder dug in their heels through two Game 7s, a title run and a season of ravaging injury luck.—
Joel Lorenzi,
New York Times,
20 Apr. 2026
Verb
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It was delivered by the 7-foot-4 Victor Wembanyama, whose torso uncorked in a fit of frustration that sent his right elbow whipping toward Reid’s windpipe like a torpedo bat flying through the strike zone.—
Jon Krawczynski,
New York Times,
11 May 2026
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That abundance of tall buildings also contributes to the city’s famous wind, which was really whipping all four days of our visit.—
Jess Fleming,
Twin Cities,
7 May 2026
Verb
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In the team's binary merger model, the compact object is close enough to its stellar companion to rip off its outer hydrogen layer without completely destroying the star.—
Robert Lea,
Space.com,
8 May 2026
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The fires hit close to home, destroying both Pratt’s Pacific Palisades residence and his parents’ home.—
Barnini Chakraborty,
The Washington Examiner,
8 May 2026
Verb
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Talley was found hiding under a porch and arrested for the second time that day.—
Michael Tobin,
FOXNews.com,
7 May 2026
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One of the United States’ largest fisheries is hiding in plain sight.—
Matthew Robertson,
The Conversation,
6 May 2026
Verb
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Declining demand and cheap imports meant most mines had closed by the 1990s, devastating an economy built around them.—
Alexander Smith,
NBC news,
6 May 2026
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Right now, communities are still waiting on disaster funding after devastating wildfires.—
Linh Tat,
Oc Register,
4 May 2026
Verb
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With the center unavailable on Pavel Mintyukov’s first-period slashing penalty against Vegas star Mitch Marner, rookie Tim Washe played with both Killorn and Granlund.—
Eric Stephens,
New York Times,
13 May 2026
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David Paul Morris | Bloomberg | Getty Images General Motors is slashing hundreds of salaried information technology employees in a bid to cut costs.—
Alex Harring,
CNBC,
12 May 2026
Verb
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San José Mayor Matt Mahan started off the debate by lashing out at both Republicans and Democrats.—
Seema Mehta,
Los Angeles Times,
7 May 2026
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In no time more than a dozen dragons were lunging up at the carcasses, tearing off chunks and lashing out at competing toothy mouths around them.—
Craig Stanford,
Big Think,
7 May 2026
Verb
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White-Jacket did cause a stir with its discussion of the arbitrary and cruel use of flogging in the US Navy.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
28 Apr. 2026
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Examples include a husband having the legal right to restrict his wife’s travel and employment, unequal divorce rights and punishment for appearing in public without a hijab ranging from fines to prison time to flogging.—
Ellie Austin,
Fortune,
21 Jan. 2026
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Cite this Entry
“Scourging.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/scourging. Accessed 14 May. 2026.
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