plague
[noun]
Synonyms:
- disease, epidemic, infection, pestilence
- affliction, bane, blight, curse, evil, scourge, torment
[verb]
Synonyms:
- pester, annoy, badger, bother, harass, harry, hassle (informal), tease, torment, torture, trouble, vex

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Related Words: infestation, invasion, affliction, disease, epidemic, ravage, bane, curse, chafe, gall, badger, bait, hassle, hector, hound, ride, afflict, torment

[TahlilGaran] English Synonym Dictionary ▲

I. plague¹ /pleɪɡ/ noun
[Date: 1300-1400; Language: Old French; Origin: plage, from Latin plaga 'hit, wound']

1. [countable] a disease that causes death and spreads quickly to a large number of people:
drops in population levels due to plagues and famines

2. [uncountable] (also the plague) a very infectious disease that produces high fever and swollen places on the body, and often leads to death, especially bubonic plague ⇒ Black Death:
The plague caused 100,000 deaths in London alone in the 1600s.

3. a plague of rats/locusts etc an uncontrolled and harmful increase in the numbers of a particular animal or insect:
A plague of squirrels is threatening our forests.
⇒ avoid somebody/something like the plague at avoid(2)

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Contemporary English ▲

II. plague² verb [transitive]

1. [usually passive] to cause pain, suffering, or trouble to someone, especially for a long period of time
be plagued by/with something
He was plagued by eye troubles.
Financial problems continued to plague the company.

2. to annoy someone, especially by asking for something many times or asking them many questions
plague somebody with something
The kids have been plaguing me with questions.

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Contemporary English ▲

plague
noun
ADJ. bubonic | great Nearly a third of the population died in the Great Plague.
QUANT. outbreak a decline in population following outbreaks of plague
VERB + PLAGUE suffer The region has just suffered a plague of locusts.
be decimated by, be destroyed by
PLAGUE + VERB break out, start, strike (sth) Bubonic plague struck London in 1665.
spread
PREP. ~ of The city is suffering a plague of rats.
 ⇒ Special page at ILLNESS

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲