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
David Faris, Newsweek, 4 Nov. 2024
The counterculture was defeated, and in its place came plague, death, and Reaganism.
—Brandon Sanchez, Vulture, 25 Oct. 2024
Hema Sivanandam, The Mercury News, 14 Nov. 2024
And Sebastian Hady can be the hero in the papers: the guy who turned the lights back on in Crown Point and ended the drug war that’s plagued Gotham for decades.
—Andy Andersen, Vulture, 10 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for plague 
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Noun
Their decline was largely due to a combination of habitat loss, diseases including the sylvatic plague and a reduction in their primary food source: prairie dogs.
—David Faris, Newsweek, 4 Nov. 2024
The counterculture was defeated, and in its place came plague, death, and Reaganism.
—Brandon Sanchez, Vulture, 25 Oct. 2024
Verb
The areas of the city near Sycamore Drive, Mahogany Way, Peppertree Way, and L Street have been plagued with violence over the past three months.
—Hema Sivanandam, The Mercury News, 14 Nov. 2024
And Sebastian Hady can be the hero in the papers: the guy who turned the lights back on in Crown Point and ended the drug war that’s plagued Gotham for decades.
—Andy Andersen, Vulture, 10 Nov. 2024
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 22 Nov. 2024.
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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