Dictionary.com
Thesaurus.com
Synonyms

scourge

American  
[skurj] / skɜrdʒ /

noun

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

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

  3. a cause of affliction or calamity.

    Disease and famine are scourges of humanity.
    Synonyms:
    bane, plague

verb (used with object)

scourged, scourging

  1. to whip with a scourge; lash.

  2. to punish, chastise, or criticize severely.

    Synonyms:
    castigate, correct
scourge British  
/ skɜːdʒ /

noun

  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

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

verb

  1. to whip; flog

  2. to punish severely

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

  • scourger noun
  • scourgingly adverb
  • self-scourging adjective
  • unscourged adjective
  • unscourging adjective

Etymology

Origin of scourge

1175–1225; (noun) Middle English < Anglo-French escorge, derivative of escorgier to whip < Vulgar Latin *excorrigiāre, derivative of Latin corrigia thong, whip ( ex- 1 ); (v.) Middle English < Old French escorgier

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.

Arooj Shah, Chair of the LGA's Neighbourhoods Committee, said: "Councils want to work with government to tackle the scourge of fly-tipping and protect our communities from environmental crime."

From BBC • Mar. 18, 2026

Now chronic disease is on the rise, a scourge these animal lovers attribute to ultraprocessed kibble and overmedication.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 28, 2026

They worried it could turn into deflation, a major scourge of the economy during the Great Depression in the 1930s.

From MarketWatch • Jan. 23, 2026

The scourge of extortion in Peru, which has risen tenfold in two years, cannot be beaten without a major security overhaul, the prosecutor heading the South American country's fight against organized crime told AFP.

From Barron's • Jan. 16, 2026

He regarded the cover of her book, a romance about a Moorish boy who becomes the scourge of the Seven Seas.

From "The Underground Railroad: A Novel" by Colson Whitehead

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.