1. the act of whipping or beating someone as punishment
Usage: historical
2. severe criticism or harsh treatment

1. present participle of scourge: whipping or beating as punishment
Usage: historical
2. present participle of scourge: criticizing or punishing severely

Examples

• The scourging of prisoners was common in ancient times.
• The newspaper’s scourging of the mayor continued for weeks.
• He was scourging himself for his mistakes.
• The critics were scourging the new play mercilessly.
• The scourging winds stripped the leaves from the trees.
• She felt the scourging pain of regret.
• The coach was scourging the team for their poor performance.