1[countableC]MI a disease that causes death and spreads quickly to a large number of people 瘟疫,疫病
drops in population levels due to plagues and famines
瘟疫和饥荒造成的人口水平下降
2[uncountableU] (also the plague)MI a very infectious disease that produces high fever and swollen places on the body, and often leads to death, especially bubonic plague 鼠疫〔尤指腺鼠疫〕 → Black Death
The plague caused 100,000 deaths in London alone in the 1600s.
17 世纪,鼠疫仅在伦敦一地就造成了10万人死亡。
3a plague of rats/locusts etcINCREASE IN NUMBER OR AMOUNTan uncontrolled and harmful increase in the numbers of a particular animal or insect 鼠灾/蝗灾等
A plague of squirrels is threatening our forests.
松鼠灾害正在威胁我们的森林。
Examples from the Corpus
a plague of rats/locusts etc• From Tracy Luv to Sarah-Lou, Corriekids are as well-behaved as a plague of locusts.• I wonder what really causes a plague of rats?
→ avoid somebody/something like the plagueat avoid(2)
be plagued by/with something• Diem was plagued by chaos throughout the summer.• Early versions were plagued bycloggedprint heads, blurry prints and a tendency to smudge.• They've got to learn that this business is plagued with fantasists and people with grudges.• Wanda Kaczynski is plagued by guilt.• The Highlands has one of the highest suiciderates in the country and is plagued byhuge numbers of fatalaccidents.• Frederick was plagued with one illness after another throughout his childhood, mainly suffering from asthma and other breathing problems.• Yes, we defeated the United States, but now we are plagued by problems.• But hardly had it reached our screens last July than it was plagued by troubles and controversy.
plague somebody with something• The kids have been plaguing me with questions.
Originplague1
(1300-1400)Old Frenchplage, from Latinplaga“hit, wound”