plague

/pleɪɡ/
noun
  1. A serious disease that spreads quickly and kills many people, especially the bubonic plague in history.
    • Modern medicine can treat the plague with antibiotics.
    • The plague killed millions of people in Europe during the Middle Ages.
    • Historians study how the plague changed society.
  2. A large number of harmful animals or insects that cause damage or trouble.
    • The city suffered a plague of rats after the flood.
    • Gardeners are dealing with a plague of aphids this summer.
    • A plague of locusts destroyed the farmers' crops.
  3. Something that causes constant trouble, suffering, or annoyance.
    • Traffic jams are a plague in big cities.
    • The computer virus was a plague on the company's network.
    • Mosquitoes are a plague during the rainy season.
verb
  1. To cause constant trouble, pain, or worry to someone or something.
    • Technical problems plagued the launch of the new app.
    • Bad luck seemed to plague the family for years.
    • She was plagued by doubts about her decision.
  2. To infect with a serious disease (usually used in passive form).
    • The village was plagued by a mysterious illness.
    • Many animals in the region were plagued by the virus.
    • The population was plagued by outbreaks of cholera.
Synonyms
What does "plague" mean? | whatsthatwordmean | whatsthatwordmean