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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In this alternate past, a fatal blood virus, known informally as the Red Wind, has been ravaging the population for about a decade.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
26 Mar. 2026 -
Because the nerves were already ravaging his poise.—
Marcus Thompson II,
New York Times,
13 Feb. 2026
Verb
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The famously-shy sophomore obliged, several of her teammates whipping out their phones to record the big moment.—
Emily Adams,
Hartford Courant,
1 Apr. 2026
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The Supergirl trailer shows him hootin' and hollerin' while doing donuts on his cycle and whipping his chain weapon around a horde of assailants.—
Nick Romano,
Entertainment Weekly,
31 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Hamas’ charter calls for destroying Israel.—
Wafaa Shurafa,
Los Angeles Times,
10 Apr. 2026
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When season five begins, Ed is a leader in the separatist group the Sons and Daughters of Mars, a former agent of the ruling order now intent on destroying it.—
Roxana Hadadi,
Vulture,
10 Apr. 2026
Verb
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The fourth-largest barrier reef in the world, Anegada's Horseshoe Reef draws beginner snorkelers and dedicated divers to colorful corals hiding sublime marine life.—
Carley Rojas Avila,
Travel + Leisure,
9 Apr. 2026
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This is a pipeline-optionality story hiding inside a cash-flow machine.—
Michael Khouw,
CNBC,
9 Apr. 2026
Verb
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For this woman, devastating in her humanity and dignity throughout the four months of the extraordinary trial, who was propelled into becoming a global icon in the fight against the violence done to women, the time has now come to rebuild.—
TIME,
Time,
7 Apr. 2026
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Our team found that a hospital cyberattack cut the odds of surviving a cardiac arrest without devastating brain damage by nearly 90% at nearby hospitals, not just the one that was attacked.—
Jeffrey Tully,
Fortune,
26 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Earlier this year, the board voted for a debt mitigation plan that involved slashing upwards of 70 jobs, closing a historic elementary school and cutting dozens of district programs and contracts.—
Ilana Arougheti,
Kansas City Star,
8 Apr. 2026
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The company is slashing prices to course correct, but its efforts may be too little too late.—
Marco Quiroz-Gutierrez,
Fortune,
7 Apr. 2026
Verb
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After lashing out at Morgan for suggesting that Lucia was a suspect, Karadec shows up at Morgan’s front door to apologize, leading to a tearful heart-to-heart between the partners.—
Max Gao,
Variety,
8 Apr. 2026
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The president of a labor union representing Transportation Security Administration employees is lashing out at lawmakers, telling them not to leave Washington, DC, for Easter recess before passing a deal to pay its agents amid the ongoing partial government shutdown.—
Michelle Del Rey,
USA Today,
25 Mar. 2026
Verb
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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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Others have called out the boring marketing campaign based around flogging variants in order for Swift to finally beat the record for the biggest opening sales week for a female artist in history (currently held by Adele, which she is likely projected to break).—
Bianca Davino,
Refinery29,
7 Oct. 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Scourging.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/scourging. Accessed 14 Apr. 2026.
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