1
as in blockaded
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
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in plagued
to cause persistent suffering to
a family besieged by worries about the faltering economy
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in petitioned
to make a request to (someone) in an earnest or urgent manner
bereaved parents continued to besiege the president with pleas to end the war
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Recent Examples of besieged
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
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
The interview takes a bad turn when the Ralph Lauren office building is besieged by the tabloid mob.
—Rafaela Bassili, Vulture, 13 Mar. 2026
But the regime, besieged by insurrections across the country, abandoned Manbij.
—Anand Gopal, New Yorker, 28 Feb. 2026
The Kings, who snapped a franchise-record 16-game losing streak with Monday’s win over the Memphis Grizzlies, have been besieged by injuries this season.
—Jason Anderson, Sacbee.com, 25 Feb. 2026
The operation goes awry when one of the Black Hawk helicopters is brought down and its crew, including Durant (Ron Eldard), killed or besieged.
—David Faris, TheWeek, 24 Feb. 2026
Destruction in Mariupol At the start of the war, Russian forces besieged Mariupol before the port city fell in May 2022.
—Yuras Karmanau, Los Angeles Times, 20 Feb. 2026
The Adams administration was besieged with corruption at every level—the Blackness of the perpetrators was of no solace.
—Literary Hub, 5 Feb. 2026
David Blumenthal, STAT, 24 Mar. 2026
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
The interview takes a bad turn when the Ralph Lauren office building is besieged by the tabloid mob.
—Rafaela Bassili, Vulture, 13 Mar. 2026
But the regime, besieged by insurrections across the country, abandoned Manbij.
—Anand Gopal, New Yorker, 28 Feb. 2026
The Kings, who snapped a franchise-record 16-game losing streak with Monday’s win over the Memphis Grizzlies, have been besieged by injuries this season.
—Jason Anderson, Sacbee.com, 25 Feb. 2026
The operation goes awry when one of the Black Hawk helicopters is brought down and its crew, including Durant (Ron Eldard), killed or besieged.
—David Faris, TheWeek, 24 Feb. 2026
Destruction in Mariupol At the start of the war, Russian forces besieged Mariupol before the port city fell in May 2022.
—Yuras Karmanau, Los Angeles Times, 20 Feb. 2026
The Adams administration was besieged with corruption at every level—the Blackness of the perpetrators was of no solace.
—Literary Hub, 5 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for besieged
Verb
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Three of the four countries that blockaded Qatar—Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Bahrain—have also been the target of Iranian drones and missiles.—
Shane Harris,
The Atlantic,
26 Mar. 2026
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But, in response, Iran has attacked Israel and its Gulf neighbors and blockaded the vital Strait of Hormuz trade route, delivering a global economic shock that has sent energy prices surging and threatened food shortages for billions.—
Alexander Smith,
NBC news,
25 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Whereas Phoebe lacks inhibitions, Valerie is plagued by them, and the contrasting sitcom formats of Friends (multi-cam) and The Comeback (mockumentary) call for totally different performance styles.—
Tom Smyth,
Vulture,
6 Apr. 2026
-
Lack of depth also plagued — a contrast from last year, when the four-line threat was huge.—
Greg Cote
April 6,
Miami Herald,
6 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Environmental groups and a handful of governors have recently petitioned the EPA to add microplastics to the forthcoming version of the Unregulated Contaminant Monitoring Rule, or UCMR, which the agency recently submitted to the White House.—
Will Stone,
NPR,
2 Apr. 2026
-
Hildebrand successfully petitioned the court for a ruling on her candidacy, as the Department of Revenue failed to notify the school district of her tax status before she was put on the ballot.—
Ilana Arougheti,
Kansas City Star,
31 Mar. 2026
Verb
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While Hungary is a member of the European Union, Orbán has repeatedly attacked the it and clashed with his European counterparts on several issues, including Russia's war in Ukraine, using his veto power to try to block the EU's efforts to support Ukraine.—
Hannah Demissie,
ABC News,
7 Apr. 2026
-
Milton residents are voicing safety concerns in the Blue Hills Reservation after Massachusetts State Police say a man stabbed a dog that allegedly attacked him.—
Samantha Chaney,
CBS News,
7 Apr. 2026
Verb
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However, they are widely considered to be highly capable, especially for coalition warfare, despite some technical issues that have afflicted them in their first years of service.—
Pan Pylas,
Los Angeles Times,
2 Apr. 2026
-
Our mission is to feed the hungry, comfort the afflicted and offer hope to those in need, including the LGBTQ community.—
Donna Lamb,
MSNBC Newsweek,
31 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Curry’s passenger begged officers to help Curry but Billups-Taylor blithely dismissed this concern, stating that Curry was acting, court documents state.—
Deborah Laverty,
Chicago Tribune,
29 Mar. 2026
-
In an embarrassingly amateurish political stunt, Bianco blew the president a kiss and all but begged for an endorsement by seizing 650,000 ballots from last November’s election to determine whether they were fraudulently counted.—
Steve Lopez,
Los Angeles Times,
26 Mar. 2026
Verb
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On Tuesday, Midwestern states were beleaguered by strong winds, storms, reports of tornadoes and hail.—
Marlene Lenthang,
NBC news,
11 Mar. 2026
-
Still, many states’ systems were beleaguered with payout delays that continue today.—
Jacqueline Munis,
Fortune,
9 Mar. 2026
Verb
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The Eduiot site includes photographs and audiovisual material, and features the accounts of parents, siblings, cousins, nephews and nieces of Jews persecuted and disappeared under the dictatorship.—
Juan Melamed,
Sun Sentinel,
31 Mar. 2026
-
The helpless and much persecuted turtles were cooked in a rich, creamy soup with chunks of meat.—
James Stout,
Outside,
29 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Besieged.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/besieged. Accessed 7 Apr. 2026.
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