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
"The sudden outbreak in the warehouse was identified as a plague, where workers contracted the deadly rodent-borne infection after fleas bit them while cleaning infested grain silos."
any epidemic disease with a high death rate
"The bubonic plague devastated medieval Europe, killing millions of people within just a few years."
any large scale calamity (especially when thought to be sent by God)
"The ancient people believed that the devastating famine was a plague sent by God as punishment for their sins."
The bubonic plague, the pestilent disease caused by the virulent bacterium Yersinia pestis.
"The medieval city was devastated when the black death, or bubonic plague, swept through the streets."
In plain English: A plague is a terrible disease that spreads quickly and causes many people to get very sick.
"The drought was a plague that destroyed our crops last summer."
Usage: Use "plague" as a verb to describe persistent annoyance rather than occasional bother. Avoid using it for minor inconveniences where simpler synonyms like "bother" would be more appropriate.
To harass, pester or annoy someone persistently or incessantly.
"The curious neighbor constantly knocked on my door and asked personal questions to plague me all afternoon."
In plain English: To plague someone is to annoy them constantly and make their life difficult.
"The constant noise from the construction site began to plague my peace every day."
The word plague entered Middle English from the Old French plage and ultimately derives from Latin plāga, meaning "blow" or "wound." Its original sense of a physical strike evolved to describe the devastating disease that displaced an earlier native term for pestilence in England.