1
: whip
especially
: one used to inflict pain or punishment
2
: an instrument of punishment or criticism
3
: a cause of wide or great affliction
scourged; scourging
scourger
noun
scourg·er
-jə(r)
plural -s
: one that scourges
specifically
: a public official charged with scourging
Examples of scourge in a Sentence
Noun (1)
a city ravaged by the scourge of unemployment
The disease continues to be a scourge in the developing world.
Verb
a neighborhood scourged by crime
The prisoner was scourged with a whip.
Recent Examples on the Web
Literary Hub, 11 June 2026
Cambodia has failed to dismantle much of its online scam industry despite a yearlong crackdown that authorities said would eliminate the scourge, according to an Amnesty International report that challenges official claims of success.
—Philip Heijmans, Bloomberg, 8 June 2026
Edward Lotterman, Twin Cities, 31 May 2026
McCarter also has several outstanding requests related to the open-air drug market and homelessness scourge at and around Mass and Cass, of which he’s been particularly outspoken about in recent months as a resident of a hot-spot spillover area in the South End, according to his lawsuit.
—Gayla Cawley, Boston Herald, 12 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for scourge
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Noun
Recall those hundred or so volunteers who put their own bodies on the line to advance the possibility—absolutely not the certainty—of eliminating a brutal scourge, HIV/AIDS.
—Literary Hub, 11 June 2026
Cambodia has failed to dismantle much of its online scam industry despite a yearlong crackdown that authorities said would eliminate the scourge, according to an Amnesty International report that challenges official claims of success.
—Philip Heijmans, Bloomberg, 8 June 2026
Verb
An expensive dollar also scourges industries that compete with imports.
—Edward Lotterman, Twin Cities, 31 May 2026
McCarter also has several outstanding requests related to the open-air drug market and homelessness scourge at and around Mass and Cass, of which he’s been particularly outspoken about in recent months as a resident of a hot-spot spillover area in the South End, according to his lawsuit.
—Gayla Cawley, Boston Herald, 12 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for scourge
Cite this Entry
“Scourge.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/scourge. Accessed 17 Jun. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
scourge
1 of 2 noun1
2
: someone or something that is an instrument of punishment or criticism
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