1 [C,U] any infectious disease that spreads quickly and kills many people 瘟疫

2 the plague [U] an infectious disease spread by rats that causes swellings on the body, a very high temperature and often results in death 腺鼠疫；肺鼠疫；鼠疫

3 [C] a plague of sth a large number of unpleasant animals or insects that come into an area at one time 同一时间侵扰某地方的一大群令人厌烦的动物或昆虫: a plague of ants/locusts 蚁灾；蝗灾