besiege

1
as in to attack
to surround (as a fortified place) with armed forces for the purpose of capturing or preventing commerce and communication armies besieged the city for six months before it finally surrendered

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

2
3

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of besiege Consumers are besieged nearly every day about some news about Elon Musk’s latest moves at the Department of Government Efficiency to gain access to government records that contain sensitive personal data, including Social Security numbers. Susan Tompor, USA TODAY, 1 Mar. 2025 Well-wishers so besieged Moore that the actress had to be informed formally that the engraving process was complete. Bryan Alexander, USA TODAY, 24 Feb. 2025 Even with these advances, however, there continue to rug-pulls, hacks, breaches, and other negative and unethical events besieging the sector. Sean Stein Smith, Forbes, 22 Feb. 2025 The National Rally took the lead in the first round of parliamentary votes but was besieged by scandal among its candidates, including a woman who appeared in a photo wearing a World War II-era Nazi officer cap. Laura Kelly, The Hill, 21 Feb. 2025 See All Example Sentences for besiege
Recent Examples of Synonyms for besiege
Verb
  • Police are searching for three suspects who were caught on video repeatedly attacking a 61-year-old trans woman outside of her convenience store in Los Angeles’ Westlake neighborhood.
    Abby Monteil, Them., 29 Apr. 2025
  • Particularly his ability to do things at such high speed and to help begin attacking moves in his own half.
    Philipp Lahm, New York Times, 29 Apr. 2025
Verb
  • Puerto Rico is frequently plagued by power outages, with the most recent island-wide event on New Year's Eve taking days to resolve.
    Taylor Ardrey, USA Today, 18 Apr. 2025
  • Now a depth arm in the organization who was called up from triple-A Oklahoma City for a spot start Wednesday, Miller’s first MLB outing of 2025 mirrored the struggles that plagued him over the rest of 2024.
    Houston Mitchell, Los Angeles Times, 17 Apr. 2025
Verb
  • In turn, Julian begged his ex to destroy the incriminating papers for the sake of their family.
    Sabienna Bowman, People.com, 18 Apr. 2025
  • Knowing what was to come, both begged for their lives, a witness told investigators.
    Emerson Clarridge, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 17 Apr. 2025
Verb
  • Israel also has blockaded Gaza for the past six weeks, again barring the entry of food and other goods.
    Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 20 Apr. 2025
  • For six weeks Israel also has blockaded Gaza, barring the entry of food and other goods.
    Samy Magdy, Chicago Tribune, 19 Apr. 2025
Verb
  • Protectionists presented tariffs as the essential policy to quicken the development of manufactures as well as a remedy to the social ills that afflicted the emerging industrial working class.
    Made by History, Time, 28 Apr. 2025
  • But the malady afflicting much of the Dodgers lineup seems to have infected the third baseman with a particularly virulent strain.
    Steve Henson, Los Angeles Times, 27 Apr. 2025
Verb
  • The Port of Seattle is petitioning to overturn a controversial new city law that allows housing in part of SoDo, escalating a political fight over the future of Seattle's industrial lands.
    Christine Clarridge, Axios, 9 Apr. 2025
  • After his family won rulings for his return to U.S. soil by Monday, the Trump administration petitioned the Supreme Court to intervene.
    Eduardo Cuevas, USA Today, 8 Apr. 2025
Verb
  • Of all the galaxies in this frame, one pair stands out in particular: a smooth golden galaxy encircled by a nearly complete ring at left.
    Alan Taylor, The Atlantic, 28 Apr. 2025
  • For several hundred dollars, tour companies fly passengers high above the rivers that encircle the city, showcasing a stunning, bird’s-eye view of the Statue of Liberty, One World Trade Center and other landmarks.
    Philip Marcelo, Los Angeles Times, 12 Apr. 2025
Verb
  • In a video posted to his Truth Social platform in December 2023, Trump accused the FBI and DOJ of sending undercover spies to churches to persecute people of faith.
    Ross Rosenfeld, MSNBC Newsweek, 23 Apr. 2025
  • The statement concluded with an expression of solidarity with Christians who are persecuted.
    Chloe Breyer, New York Daily News, 21 Apr. 2025

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Besiege.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/besiege. Accessed 2 May. 2025.

More from Merriam-Webster on besiege

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!