Thesaurus: plague

Related headwords

Definitions

1. n. That which smites, wounds, or troubles; a blow; a calamity; any afflictive evil or torment; a great trail or vexation.
2. n. 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.
3. v. t. To infest or afflict with disease, calamity, or natural evil of any kind.
4. v. t. Fig.: To vex; to tease; to harass.
5. n. 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
6. n. any epidemic disease with a high death rate
7. n. a swarm of insects that attack plants
8. n. any large scale calamity (especially when thought to be sent by God)
9. n. an annoyance
10. v. cause to suffer a blight
11. v. annoy continually or chronically
12. 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. Cattle plague. See Rinderpest. -- Plague mark, Plague spot, a spot or mark of the plague; hence, a token of something incurable. 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.