as in besieged
to surround (as a fortified place) with armed forces for the purpose of capturing or preventing commerce and communication
beleaguered the castle for months
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Recent Examples of beleaguered
Still, many states’ systems were beleaguered with payout delays that continue today.
—
Jacqueline Munis, Fortune, 9 Mar. 2026
The agricultural economy, beleaguered by rising productions costs and low commodity prices, is expected to be facing losses for the fourth consecutive year in 2026.
—Stephen Gruber-Miller, Des Moines Register, 27 Jan. 2026
Local authorities were outnumbered and beleaguered.
—Michael Luo, New Yorker, 27 Jan. 2026
Original concepts include mazes set in a demonic version of the Old West, a life-sized toybox full of twisted dolls and a frozen Northern town beleaguered by monsters.
—Julie Tremaine, Forbes.com, 28 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for beleaguered
Jacqueline Munis, Fortune, 9 Mar. 2026
The agricultural economy, beleaguered by rising productions costs and low commodity prices, is expected to be facing losses for the fourth consecutive year in 2026.
—Stephen Gruber-Miller, Des Moines Register, 27 Jan. 2026
Local authorities were outnumbered and beleaguered.
—Michael Luo, New Yorker, 27 Jan. 2026
Original concepts include mazes set in a demonic version of the Old West, a life-sized toybox full of twisted dolls and a frozen Northern town beleaguered by monsters.
—Julie Tremaine, Forbes.com, 28 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for beleaguered
Recent Examples of Synonyms for beleaguered
besieged
Verb
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Early on, the Biden team had been besieged with desperate pleas to ship more of the then scarce vaccine.—
David Blumenthal,
STAT,
24 Mar. 2026
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When news circulated about the gathering, Temple Emanu-El was besieged with inquiries from the local media.—
Joshua M. Davidson,
New York Daily News,
22 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Beleaguered.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/beleaguered. Accessed 7 Apr. 2026.
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