plague Meaning, Definition & Usage

  1. noun a serious (sometimes fatal) infection of rodents caused by Yersinia pestis and accidentally transmitted to humans by the bite of a flea that has bitten an infected animal
    pestilence; pestis; pest.
  2. noun any epidemic disease with a high death rate
    pestilence; pest.
  3. noun a swarm of insects that attack plants
    infestation.
    • a plague of grasshoppers
  4. noun any large scale calamity (especially when thought to be sent by God)
  5. noun an annoyance
    • those children are a damn plague
  6. verb cause to suffer a blight
    blight.
    • Too much rain may blight the garden with mold
  7. verb annoy continually or chronically
    beset; chivy; chevy; chevvy; harass; hassle; chivvy; harry; molest; provoke.
    • He is known to harry his staff when he is overworked
    • This man harasses his female co-workers

WordNet


Plague noun
Etymology
L. plaga a blow, stroke, plague; akin to Gr. , fr. to strike; cf. L. plangere to strike, beat. Cf. Plaint.
Definitions
  1. That which smites, wounds, or troubles; a blow; a calamity; any afflictive evil or torment; a great trail or vexation. Shak.
    And men blasphemed God for the plague of hail. Wyclif.
    The different plague of each calamity. Shak.
  2. (Med.) An acute malignant contagious fever, that often prevails in Egypt, Syria, and Turkey, and has at times visited the large cities of Europe with frightful mortality; hence, any pestilence; as, the great London plague. "A plague upon the people fell." Tennyson.
Plague transitive verb
Wordforms
imperfect & past participle Plagued ; present participle & verbal noun Plaguing
Definitions
  1. To infest or afflict with disease, calamity, or natural evil of any kind.
    Thus were they plagued And worn with famine. Milton.
  2. Fig.: To vex; to tease; to harass.
    She will plague the man that loves her most. Spenser.
    Syn. -- To vex; torment; distress; afflict; harass; annoy; tease; tantalize; trouble; molest; embarrass; perplex.

Webster 1913