plague
noun
an epidemic disease that causes high mortality; pestilence.
had plagued
-
past perfectof plague.past perfect
Used to express a completed action that took place before another specific past action occurred.
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Measures unveiled in 2013 by then-prime minister Shinzo Abe -- and continued by successive governments -- were supposed to end a spiral of deflation that had plagued Japan for decades since the mid-1990s.
From Barron's ● Nov. 8, 2026
The subject—given no hope of recovery, or of a very long life—used performance art to exert control over his body, his world, and the lung disorder that had plagued him since birth.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 15, 2026
There was citrus canker, caused by a bacterium that had plagued citrus for years prior to the arrival of greening.*
From Slate ● Apr. 20, 2026
Rushing, meanwhile, never found a groove with his bat or his game-calling upon returning to the active roster a few days later, enduring more rookie growing pains that had plagued him all year.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 30, 2025
He was sound asleep before the spring night was quite dark, but excessive fatigue, like excitement, was a forerunner of the nightmares that had plagued him for the past year.
From "Across Five Aprils" by Irene Hunt
