1
as in ravaging
to bring destruction to (something) through violent action
barbarians scourged the countryside, leaving village after village burned to the ground
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in whipping
to strike repeatedly with something long and thin or flexible
scourge the tree with a whip to loosen the bark
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for scourging
Verb
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But on an evening back in July, inordinate rainfall led to unrelenting floodwaters ravaging the lower level of Pledger’s home.—
Kansas City Star,
Kansas City Star,
3 Sep. 2025 -
Spain is deploying 500 more soldiers to fight wildfires ravaging the country, as southern Europe faces a wave of extreme climate events fueled by heatwaves.—
Tasneem Nashrulla,
semafor.com,
17 Aug. 2025
Verb
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Boaters were the last to be warned to watch the sky as a line of wind-whipping storms pushed out to sea.—
Joe Dwinell,
Boston Herald,
7 Sep. 2025
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Golden State usually opens games whipping the ball around and making teams uncomfortable with its aggressive style of defense.—
Nathan Canilao,
Mercury News,
5 Sep. 2025
Verb
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The military has also been targeting and destroying high-rise buildings surrounding displacement camps, crowding Gaza City’s residents into ever-smaller spaces.—
Zeena Saifi,
CNN Money,
12 Sep. 2025
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Ultimately, North was found guilty of destroying official documents, accepting a home security system as a gift and obstructing Congress in 1989.—
Meredith Kile,
PEOPLE,
11 Sep. 2025
Verb
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But this chassis could be the ultimate mainstream case for cable-hiding showoffs.—
Thomas Soderstrom,
PC Magazine,
13 Sep. 2025
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Some are found lurking in remote corners of the world, while others have been hiding right under our noses.—
Real-Time News team,
Miami Herald,
12 Sep. 2025
Verb
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From delivering disaster relief during devastating recent floods to investing in food banks, the business’ presence extends far beyond its checkout lines.—
Lisa Cericola,
Southern Living,
9 Sep. 2025
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While the negative human-health effects of smoke from the Glass Fire have been well documented, the toxic brown blanket covering the Napa Valley is also devastating bee populations, said local beekeeper John Sevigny.—
Ethan Baron,
Mercury News,
7 Sep. 2025
Verb
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The luxury furniture retailer fell roughly 8% in premarket trading after slashing its annual revenue outlook.—
Michelle Fox,
CNBC,
12 Sep. 2025
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Despite the shock loss, Milei has vowed no changes to his divisive agenda, which has reshaped Argentina’s economy, slashing inflation while boosting growth.—
Jeronimo Gonzalez,
semafor.com,
10 Sep. 2025
Verb
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But when this lashing out becomes regular, the partner on the receiving end will start to expect their character to be attacked just as regularly.—
Mark Travers,
Forbes.com,
7 Sep. 2025
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The company destroyed a piece of lashing wire that investigators believe slapped an Xcel electrical conductor and caused arcing that led to the fire, said Matthew Delinko with Bauman, Lowe, Witt & Maxwell, a law firm representing insurance companies.—
Noelle Phillips,
Denver Post,
21 Aug. 2025
Verb
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The Black Death and its aftermath saw a great resurgence of apocalyptic flagellation, with thousands of adherents flogging themselves up and down the Continent (the movement failed to take off in England, which figures).—
Michael Robbins,
Harpers Magazine,
20 Aug. 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Scourging.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/scourging. Accessed 14 Sep. 2025.
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