# plague

/ˈpɫeɪɡ/ (US) · /plˈeɪɡ/ (UK)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/plague
Updated: 2026-06-20

## Senses

### 1. disease

noun · CEFR B2

a very serious disease that spreads quickly and kills many people.

For teachers: a contagious bacterial disease characterized by fever and delirium, typically referring to the bubonic plague.

- In the Middle Ages, the plague killed millions of people across Europe.
- Historians estimate that the bubonic plague wiped out nearly a third of the European population during the fourteenth century.

### 2. infestation

noun · CEFR B2

a large number of harmful insects or animals that arrive at the same time.

For teachers: an unusually large and destructive influx or infestation of insects or animals.

- The farmers lost their entire crop after a plague of locusts hit the region.
- The region suffered a devastating plague of rodents that contaminated the grain stores and threatened the local food supply.

### 3. to cause trouble

verb · CEFR B2

to cause someone or something a lot of trouble or pain over a long time.

For teachers: to afflict a person, place, or entity with persistent trouble, distress, or calamity.

- Injuries continued to plague the athlete throughout her professional career.
- The administration was plagued by corruption scandals that undermined public confidence in the new legislative reforms.

### 4. to annoy

verb · CEFR C1 · Informal

to annoy someone by asking them questions or bothering them constantly.

For teachers: to pester or harass someone incessantly with questions, requests, or complaints.

- The reporters began to plague the actor with questions about his private life.
- Persistent telemarketers continued to plague the household with unsolicited calls despite their registration on the do-not-call list.

## Examples

- The city suffered from a terrible plague in the middle ages.
- Farmers are worried that a plague of locusts will destroy their entire harvest this season.
- Historians continue to debate how the bubonic plague reshaped the economic landscape of Europe by drastically reducing the available labor force.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.