1
a
: a military blockade of a city or fortified place to compel it to surrender
b
: a persistent or serious attack (as of illness)
2
obsolete
: a seat of distinction : throne
see also:
sieged; sieging
Examples of siege in a Sentence
Noun
The castle was built to withstand a siege.
The city is in a state of siege.
Recent Examples on the Web
Idaho Statesman, 5 Apr. 2026
Bissan, who has spent the last 2 1/2 years in Egypt, had been one of 33 premature babies trapped inside the Al Shifa hospital as the Israeli military laid siege to it in November 2023.
—Dragana Jovanovic, ABC News, 4 Apr. 2026
Matt Robison, Newsweek, 21 Nov. 2024
Police then began negotiations with other people in the home before authorities eventually sieged the house with armored vehicles.
—Christopher Cann, USA TODAY, 1 May 2024
See All Example Sentences for siege
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Noun
Boise tilted the field and laid siege to the Spokane (2-1-1) net for the final 80 minutes Saturday.
—Idaho Statesman, 5 Apr. 2026
Bissan, who has spent the last 2 1/2 years in Egypt, had been one of 33 premature babies trapped inside the Al Shifa hospital as the Israeli military laid siege to it in November 2023.
—Dragana Jovanovic, ABC News, 4 Apr. 2026
Verb
Moreover, the Geneva Conventions themselves do not require a sieging party to allow in aid when it will be commandeered by the enemy or provide a military advantage, both of which are indisputably the case with Hamas in Gaza.
—Matt Robison, Newsweek, 21 Nov. 2024
Police then began negotiations with other people in the home before authorities eventually sieged the house with armored vehicles.
—Christopher Cann, USA TODAY, 1 May 2024
See All Example Sentences for siege
Cite this Entry
“Siege.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/siege. Accessed 9 Apr. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
siege
noun1
: the placing of an army around a fortified place or city to force it to surrender
2
: a lasting attack (as of illness)
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