A contagious bacterial disease characterized by fever and delirium, typically with the formation of buboes and sometimes infection of the lungs. The Black Death was a devastating global epidemic of bubonic plague that struck Europe and Asia in the mid-1300s.
An unusually large number of insects or animals infesting a place and causing damage. A plague of locusts descended upon the crops, leaving devastation in their wake.
A thing causing trouble or irritation. The constant noise from the construction site was a plague to the residents of the neighborhood.
Any epidemic disease that spreads rapidly and causes high mortality; a serious widespread affliction. Polio was once a dreaded plague across the world.