1
as in encircles
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
as in persecutes
to cause persistent suffering to
a family besieged by worries about the faltering economy
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in begs
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for besieges
Verb
-
The polar jet stream is a ribbon of air that encircles the Northern Hemisphere at high altitudes and determines atmospheric pressure patterns.—
Evan Bush,
NBC news,
28 Mar. 2026 -
Instead, a bright ring of sunlight encircles the moon's silhouette, often called a 'ring of fire'.—
Daisy Dobrijevic,
Space.com,
20 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
China, which jails human rights activists in Hong Kong, persecutes Uyghurs, has killed hundreds of thousands of Tibetans and has committed genocide against the Falun Gong, is on the UN Human Rights Council.—
Voice of the People,
New York Daily News,
18 Feb. 2026
-
In Russia, the civilian repressive apparatus persecutes the military, which leaps at every chance for revenge.—
Stephen Kotkin,
Foreign Affairs,
16 Dec. 2025
Verb
-
That begs the question, why bother with hydrogen?—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
4 Apr. 2026
-
The almost-haunting minute-and-a-half trailer begs the question — is Mulligan’s Lindsay happy with Isaac’s Josh.—
Nicole Fell,
HollywoodReporter,
2 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Botulism occurs when people eat food contaminated with botulinum toxin, a potent toxin that attacks the body’s nervous system.—
Saleen Martin,
USA Today,
3 Apr. 2026
-
Global oil prices have surged as Iran tightens its grip on the Strait of Hormuz and attacks regional energy infrastructure, pushing Brent crude to around $107 a barrel, more than 45 percent higher than before the war began.—
Sam Stevenson,
MSNBC Newsweek,
1 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Still, a key downside risk for all three companies is the uncertainty that plagues the future of energy markets, according to Goldman.—
Davis Giangiulio,
CNBC,
24 Mar. 2026
-
Shifting to the execution phase By securing graphite early, the company aims to mitigate supply chain volatility that often plagues advanced nuclear projects.—
Munis Raza,
Interesting Engineering,
10 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
The film hands off its plot like a baton, passing from this dissatisfied shopper to a factory owner to her dead daughter-in-law (another ghost) who petitions the government for her civil rights despite being in the body of an appliance.—
Amy Nicholson,
Los Angeles Times,
10 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
His death sparked civil unrest in Puerto Vallarta and more than a dozen Mexican states, including Quintana Roo, with cars set on fire and blockades obstructing highways.—
Kathleen Wong,
USA Today,
25 Feb. 2026
-
Road blockades, traffic slowdowns and other protests were widespread – from the southern port city of Marseille to Lille and Caen in the north, and from Nantes and Rennes in the west to Grenoble and Lyon in the southeast.—
Greg Norman,
FOXNews.com,
10 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
The centuries-old pot-kettle idiom points out hypocrisy — as when one person accuses another of a flaw that afflicts himself.—
George Skelton,
Mercury News,
26 Mar. 2026
-
The centuries-old pot-kettle idiom points out hypocrisy — as when one person accuses another of a flaw that afflicts himself.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
23 Mar. 2026
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.
Cite this Entry
“Besieges.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/besieges. Accessed 7 Apr. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
