Scourge1. (n.) A lash; a strap or cord; especially, a lash used to inflict pain or punishment; an instrument of punishment or discipline; a whip.
2. (n.) Hence, a means of inflicting punishment, vengeance, or suffering; an infliction of affliction; a punishment.
3. (n.) To whip severely; to lash.
4. (n.) To punish with severity; to chastise; to afflict, as for sins or faults, and with the purpose of correction.
5. (n.) To harass or afflict severely.
Thesaurus Entries
adversity, afflict, affliction, ambulatory plague, bane, baste, bastinado, beat, belabor, belt, birch, black death, black plague, blacksnake, blister, bubonic plague, buffet, bugbear, bullwhack, bullwhip, burden, calamity, cane, castigate, castigation, cat, cellulocutaneous plague, chastening, chastise, chastisement, club, condign punishment, correction, cowhide, crop, crushing burden, cudgel, curse, cut, death, defervescing plague, depredate, desecrate, deserts, desolate, despoil, destruction, devastate, disciplinary measures, discipline, disease, drub, epidemic, epiphytotic, epizootic, evil, excoriate, ferule, flagellate, flagellum, flail, flay, flog, frail, fustigate, give a whipping, give the stick, glandular plague, grievance, harm, hemorrhagic plague, hide, hit, horsewhip, infliction, judgment, judicial punishment, knout, kurbash, lace, larval plague, lash, lather, lay on, misery, misfortune, murrain, nemesis, open wound, pains, pains and punishments, pandemia, pandemic, pay, payment, penal retribution, penalty, penology, pest, pesthole, pestilence, pillage, pistol-whip, plague, plague spot, pneumonic plague, pommel, premonitory plague, pummel, punish, punishment, punition, quirt, rawhide, razor strap, retribution, retributive justice, running sore, sack, scarify, scathe, scorch, septicemic plague, siderating plague, sjambok, slash, smite, spank, spoliate, strap, stripe, swinge, switch, thong, thorn, thrash, thump, torment, trounce, truncheon, tuberculosis, vexation, visitation, wallop, waste, wear out, well-deserved punishment, whale, what-for, whip, whiplash, white plague, whop, woe