scourge

Pluralscourges

Formsscourges, scourging, scourged

1. 1
   source of miserynounfigurativelycountable

   Something or someone that causes a lot of pain or trouble for a long time, like a disease or a war.

   Potholes are the scourge of drivers in our town.

   The village doctor fought the scourge of fever for many years.

   Similarbane, plague, curse, blight, menace

   Oppositeblessing, boon

   Note
2. 2
   cause miseryverbfigurativelytransitive

   To cause a lot of pain or trouble to people or places for a long time.

   Floods scourge the valley almost every spring.

   The town was scourged by sickness all winter.

   Similarplague, afflict, ravage, torment

3. 3
   whipnounhistoricalcountable

   A whip, often made of leather and having several long strips.

   The museum shows a leather scourge that was once used to punish prisoners.

   Mortify / Your flesh, like me, with scourges and with thorns; / Smite, shrink not, spare not.

   1833, Alfred Tennyson, “St. Simeon Stylites”Here, scourges means whips with several leather strips, used to beat the body.

   Similarwhip, lash

   Note
4. 4
   beat with whipverbtransitive

   To hit a person or animal with a whip.

   The cruel king ordered his guards to scourge the thief.

   In the old story, the master scourged his horse until it fell.

   Similarwhip, flog, lash, thrash, flagellate

   Note
5. 5
   God's punishmentnounfigurativelycountable

   A person or thing that people believe was sent by God to punish them.

   The villagers believed the locusts were a scourge sent from heaven.

   His enemies called the old king a scourge of God.

   Similarpunishment

   Note
6. 6
   punishverbfigurativelytransitive

   To punish someone for doing wrong.

   The old sermon warns that God will scourge those who do wrong.

   Voters scourged the party at the next election.

   Similarpunish, chastise, castigate, lambaste

   Note
7. 7
   drive forwardverbtransitive

   To make a person or animal move by whipping them, or as if by whipping them.

   The farmer had to scourge the tired mule up the hill.

   The rider scourged his horse down the road to get home fast.

   Similardrive, whip, lash

   Note
8. 8
   wear out soilverbdialectalfigurativelyScotlandtransitive

   Of a crop or a farmer, to use up the goodness in soil so it no longer grows crops well.

   Growing oats in the same field every year will scourge the ground.

   The last tenant scourged the farm and then moved away.

   Similarexhaust, deplete, impoverish

   Oppositeenrich

   Note

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