scourge

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scourge

(skûrj)

1. A source of widespread dreadful affliction and devastation such as that caused by pestilence or war.

2. A means of inflicting severe suffering, vengeance, or punishment.

3. A small whip used to inflict punishment.

tr.v. scourged, scourg·ing, scourg·es

1. To afflict with severe or widespread suffering and devastation; ravage.

2. To chastise severely; excoriate.

3. To flog.

[Middle English, from Anglo-Norman escorge, from Old French escorgier, to whip, from Vulgar Latin *excorrigiāre : Latin ex-, intensive pref.; see ex- + Latin corrigia, thong (probably of Celtic origin).]

scourg′er n.

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

scourge

(skɜːdʒ)

1. a person who harasses, punishes, or causes destruction

2. a means of inflicting punishment or suffering

3. a whip used for inflicting punishment or torture

vb (tr)

4. to whip; flog

5. to punish severely

[C13: from Anglo-French escorge, from Old French escorgier (unattested) to lash, from es- ex-¹ + Latin corrigia whip]

ˈscourger n

Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

scourge

(skɜrdʒ)

n., v. scourged, scourg•ing. n.

1. a whip or lash, esp. for the infliction of punishment.

2. a person or thing that administers punishment or criticism.

3. a cause of affliction or calamity: the scourge of famine.

v.t.

4. to whip with a scourge.

5. to punish, chastise, or criticize severely.

[1175–1225; (n.) Middle English < Old French escorge, derivative of escorgier to whip < Vulgar Latin *excorrigiāre, derivative of Latin corrigia thong, whip]

scourge

- Based on Latin ex-, "thoroughly," and corriga, "whip."

Scourge

a load or burden. See also plague.

Examples: scourge of adversity, 1386; or mosquitoes; of priests, 1560; of Turks, 1596.

scourge

Past participle: scourged
Gerund: scourging

Imperative
scourge
scourge

Present
I scourge
you scourge
he/she/it scourges
we scourge
you scourge
they scourge

Preterite
I scourged
you scourged
he/she/it scourged
we scourged
you scourged
they scourged

Present Continuous
I am scourging
you are scourging
he/she/it is scourging
we are scourging
you are scourging
they are scourging

Present Perfect
I have scourged
you have scourged
he/she/it has scourged
we have scourged
you have scourged
they have scourged

Past Continuous
I was scourging
you were scourging
he/she/it was scourging
we were scourging
you were scourging
they were scourging

Past Perfect
I had scourged
you had scourged
he/she/it had scourged
we had scourged
you had scourged
they had scourged

Future
I will scourge
you will scourge
he/she/it will scourge
we will scourge
you will scourge
they will scourge

Future Perfect
I will have scourged
you will have scourged
he/she/it will have scourged
we will have scourged
you will have scourged
they will have scourged

Future Continuous
I will be scourging
you will be scourging
he/she/it will be scourging
we will be scourging
you will be scourging
they will be scourging

Present Perfect Continuous
I have been scourging
you have been scourging
he/she/it has been scourging
we have been scourging
you have been scourging
they have been scourging

Future Perfect Continuous
I will have been scourging
you will have been scourging
he/she/it will have been scourging
we will have been scourging
you will have been scourging
they will have been scourging

Past Perfect Continuous
I had been scourging
you had been scourging
he/she/it had been scourging
we had been scourging
you had been scourging
they had been scourging

Conditional
I would scourge
you would scourge
he/she/it would scourge
we would scourge
you would scourge
they would scourge

Past Conditional
I would have scourged
you would have scourged
he/she/it would have scourged
we would have scourged
you would have scourged
they would have scourged

Collins English Verb Tables © HarperCollins Publishers 2011

ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:

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Noun	1.	scourge - a whip used to inflict punishment (often used for pedantic humor) flagellum whip - an instrument with a handle and a flexible lash that is used for whipping
	2.	scourge - something causing misery or death; "the bane of my life" bane, nemesis, curse affliction - a cause of great suffering and distress
	3.	scourge - a person who inspires fear or dread; "he was the terror of the neighborhood" terror, threat individual, mortal, person, somebody, someone, soul - a human being; "there was too much for one person to do"
Verb	1.	scourge - punish severely; excoriate penalise, penalize, punish - impose a penalty on; inflict punishment on; "The students were penalized for showing up late for class"; "we had to punish the dog for soiling the floor again"
	2.	scourge - whip; "The religious fanatics flagellated themselves" flagellate flog, lash, lather, trounce, welt, whip, slash, strap - beat severely with a whip or rod; "The teacher often flogged the students"; "The children were severely trounced"
	3.	scourge - cause extensive destruction or ruin utterly; "The enemy lay waste to the countryside after the invasion" devastate, lay waste to, ravage, desolate, waste ruin, destroy - destroy completely; damage irreparably; "You have ruined my car by pouring sugar in the tank!"; "The tears ruined her make-up" ruin - reduce to ruins; "The country lay ruined after the war"

scourge

noun

1. affliction, plague, curse, terror, pest, torment, misfortune, visitation, bane, infliction Drugs are a scourge that is devastating our society.
affliction benefit, blessing, boon, favour, gift, godsend

2. whip, lash, thong, switch, strap, cat-o'-nine-tails a heavy scourge with a piece of iron lashed into its knot

verb

1. afflict, plague, curse, torment, harass, terrorize, excoriate Economic anarchy scourged the post-war world.

2. whip, beat, lash, thrash, discipline, belt (informal), leather, punish, whale, cane, flog, trounce, castigate, wallop (informal), chastise, lather (informal), horsewhip, tan (someone's) hide (slang), take a strap to They were scourging him severely.

Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002

scourge

noun

A cause of suffering or harm:

affliction, bane, curse, evil, ill, plague, woe.

verb

1. To bring great harm or suffering to:

afflict, agonize, anguish, curse, excruciate, plague, rack, smite, strike, torment, torture.

2. To criticize harshly and devastatingly:

blister, drub, excoriate, flay, lash, rip into, scarify, scathe, scorch, score, slap, slash.

Informal: roast.

Slang: slam.

Idioms: burn someone's ears, crawl all over, pin someone's ears back, put someone on the griddle, put someone on the hot seat, rake over the coals, read the riot act to.

Translations

Spanish / Español

Select a language:

scourge

[skɜːdʒ]

A. N (lit, fig) → azote m
the scourge of malaria → el azote del paludismo
the scourge of war → el azote de la guerra
it is the scourge of our times → es la plaga de nuestros tiempos
God sent it as a scourge → Dios lo envió como castigo

B. VT (lit) → azotar, flagelar (fig) → hostigar

Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005

scourge

(skəːdʒ) noun

a cause of great suffering to many people. Vaccination has freed us from the scourge of smallpox.flagelo, castigo, calamidad

Mentioned in ?

References in classic literature ?

Fondly do we hope--fervently do we pray--that this mighty scourge of war may speedily pass away.

View in context

Till it weeps both night and day: And they scourge the weak, and flog the fool,

View in context

Passion for power: the glowing scourge of the hardest of the heart-hard; the cruel torture reserved for the cruellest themselves; the gloomy flame of living pyres.

View in context

``Your Grace's power, supported, as it is, by so many men-at-arms, may indeed easily strip and scourge me, but cannot compel me to bend or to draw my bow.''

View in context

Thus, we should, in a little time, see established in every part of this country the same engines of despotism which have been the scourge of the Old World.

View in context

At the least, a prince may animate and inure some meaner persons, to be as it were scourges, to ambitions men.

View in context

By this time all Don Quixote's companions had come up to where he lay; but the processionists seeing them come running, and with them the officers of the Brotherhood with their crossbows, apprehended mischief, and clustering round the image, raised their hoods, and grasped their scourges, as the priests did their tapers, and awaited the attack, resolved to defend themselves and even to take the offensive against their assailants if they could.

View in context

The objective of the campaign was for enlightening framers about the means of safety use of pesticides and ways of combating the scourge of mouse.

Guidance Campaigns for Safety Use of Pesticides in North Darfur

ISLAMABAD -- President Arif Alvi has stressed for fighting the scourge of child abuse at all levels.

President Alvi stresses for fighting scourge of child abuse at all levels

QUETTA -- Being a responsible citizen, we all must have to play our due role in eradication of drugs from our society because the scourge has been destroying our society.

Collective efforts required to tackle drug menace: Asad Baloch

A statement signed by the general president of IYC, Pereotubo Oweilaemi, said over 70 communities in Egbema kingdom and environs both in Delta and Edo states have been suffering from the scourge.

IYC Sends SOS To NDDC Over Blocked Waterways In N/Delta

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