1
a
: a disastrous evil or affliction : calamity
b
: a destructively numerous influx or multiplication of a noxious animal : infestation
a plague of locusts
2
a
: an epidemic disease causing a high rate of mortality : pestilence
b
: a virulent contagious febrile disease that is caused by a bacterium (Yersinia pestis) and that occurs in bubonic, pneumonic, and septicemic forms
called also black death
3
a
: a cause of irritation : nuisance
b
: a sudden unwelcome outbreak
a plague of burglaries
plagued; plaguing
1
: to smite, infest, or afflict with or as if with disease, calamity, or natural evil
plaguer
noun
Synonyms
Examples of plague in a Sentence
Noun
The country was hit by a plague of natural disasters that year.
There has been a plague of bank robberies in the area.
a plague that swept through the tribe in the 1600s
Verb
Computer viruses plague Internet users.
Crime plagues the inner city.
Drought and wildfires continue to plague the area.
Recent Examples on the Web
Ian Crouch, The New Yorker, 30 Jan. 2025
The deadly deal with the devil — or in this case, vampire — unleashes a plague on the couple’s village in this remake of the 1922 German Expressionist classic.
—Jami Ganz, New York Daily News, 26 Jan. 2025
Brian Steinberg, Variety, 4 Feb. 2025
The Weeknd, real name Abel Tesfaye, plays a musician plagued by insomnia and facing an emotional breakdown in the official trailer for the suspense thriller Hurry Up Tomorrow, the first feature film from the pop star set for a May 16 theatrical release.
—Etan Vlessing, The Hollywood Reporter, 4 Feb. 2025
See all Example Sentences for plague 
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Noun
From Mesopotamian mythologies to Y2K narratives and beyond, people have long been telling tales about the end—floods, comets, plagues, and now nuclear annihilation, rogue A.I., and, yes, more plagues.
—Ian Crouch, The New Yorker, 30 Jan. 2025
The deadly deal with the devil — or in this case, vampire — unleashes a plague on the couple’s village in this remake of the 1922 German Expressionist classic.
—Jami Ganz, New York Daily News, 26 Jan. 2025
Verb
The snacking giant, part of PepsiCo., will run a minute-long Super Bowl commercial for its flagship Lay’s that will try to do for potatoes in the Big Game what Budweiser has done for Clydesdale horses and Chrysler did for an American plagued by recession.
—Brian Steinberg, Variety, 4 Feb. 2025
The Weeknd, real name Abel Tesfaye, plays a musician plagued by insomnia and facing an emotional breakdown in the official trailer for the suspense thriller Hurry Up Tomorrow, the first feature film from the pop star set for a May 16 theatrical release.
—Etan Vlessing, The Hollywood Reporter, 4 Feb. 2025
See all Example Sentences for plague
Dictionary Entries Near plague
Cite this Entry
“Plague.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/plague. Accessed 11 Feb. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
plague
1 of 2 noun1
a
: a disastrous evil
b
: a large number of destructive pests
a plague of locusts
2
: an epidemic disease causing a high rate of death : pestilence
especially
: a serious disease that is caused by a bacterium, occurs or has occurred in several forms including bubonic plague, and is usually passed to human beings from infected rodents and especially rats by the bite of a flea or is passed directly from person to person
3
: a cause or occasion of annoyance : nuisance
plague
2 of 2 verb
plagued; plaguing
1
: to strike or afflict with or as if with disease or evil
2
: to cause worry or distress to
plagued by a sense of guilt
Medical Definition
plague
noun1
: an epidemic disease causing a high rate of mortality : pestilence
a plague of cholera
2
: a virulent contagious febrile disease that is caused by a bacterium of the genus Yersinia (Y. pestis synonym Pasteurella pestis), that occurs in bubonic, pneumonic, and septicemic forms, and that is usually transmitted from rats to humans by the bite of infected fleas (as in bubonic plague) or directly from person to person (as in pneumonic plague)
called also black death
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