BESIEGE Synonyms: 154 Similar and Opposite Words

besiege

verb

bi-ˈsēj

Definition of besiege

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

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in to plague

to cause persistent suffering to a family besieged by worries about the faltering economy

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in to beg

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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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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 Indiana, besieged by injuries after reaching the 2025 NBA Finals, was 1-12 when Mathurin returned. — William Guillory, New York Times, 26 Aug. 2026 Israeli police have not announced any arrests or charges against any settler allegedly involved in besieging the Palestinian homes and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has not publicly commented on the incident. — Reuters, USA Today, 21 Aug. 2026 Saunders is one of the most senior Australian Catholics to be convicted in a global clergy abuse scandal that has besieged the Vatican for years. — ABC News, 13 Aug. 2026 The Pratts are in serious crisis, besieged by bullies and bad neighbors outside of their house and foundation-crumbling dysfunction inside it. — David Fear, Rolling Stone, 12 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for besiege

Recent Examples of Synonyms for besiege

Verb

The recent success of a late-stage mRNA cancer vaccine, showing the drug stopped the return of melanoma, has boosted hopes that the approach can be successfully harnessed to attack other cancers.

— Allison DeAngelis, STAT, 5 Oct. 2026
In Ohio, Husted has been repeatedly attacked for his role in attracting data centers to Ohio as lieutenant governor.

— Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 5 Oct. 2026

Definition of attack

Verb

As people suffer the effects of disease, the vampire rises to plague our nightmares.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 7 Oct. 2026
Based on its survey work, Morgan Stanley believes the issues that plagued the second quarter was macro related and not something structurally tied to the TJX brand.

— Jeff Marks, CNBC, 7 Oct. 2026

Definition of plague

Verb

The country’s Interior Ministry reportedly said 1,027 of France’s roughly 3,700 lycées, or high schools, were affected Thursday, including 222 that were blockaded.

— Chloe Taylor, CNBC, 2 Oct. 2026
Iran has tried to push world energy prices higher with attacks on the region's oil shipping routes; the United States, in turn, has aimed to wreck Iran's economy by blockading its ports since June and slapping it with increasingly tough sanctions.

— Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 1 Oct. 2026

Definition of blockade

Verb

Engineers have also taken steps to ensure that a CFT-like thruster anomaly doesn't afflict future Starliner flights.

— Mike Wall, Space.com, 28 Sep. 2026
While the epicenter was located in Nantou County in central Taiwan, serious damage afflicted residents across the island as roads buckled, bridges collapsed and landslides destroyed everything in their path.

— Desiree Anello, PEOPLE, 21 Sep. 2026

Definition of afflict

Verb

The footage was released Friday after news outlets, including ABC News, petitioned the court.

— Aaron Katersky, ABC News, 2 Oct. 2026
The law, which initially took effect July 1, allows individuals convicted of other misdemeanors and some nonviolent felonies to petition the court to seal their records.

— Liam Bowman, Washington Post, 1 Oct. 2026

Definition of petition

Verb

Earlier, the Houthis seized several villages and areas on Taiz's outskirts, paving the way for the rebels to encircle Taiz, Yemen's third-largest city.

— AHMED AL-HAJ, Arkansas Online, 6 Oct. 2026
On Sunday, the group effectively encircled the key city of Taiz after cutting the main supply route linking it to the interim government capital of Aden.

— Frank Andrews, CBS News, 5 Oct. 2026

Definition of encircle

Verb

Those governments provide assurances that people won’t be persecuted or tortured, federal attorneys said.

— Lindsay Whitehurst, Los Angeles Times, 29 Sep. 2026
Also, some immigration cases involve people seeking asylum because they are being persecuted by a foreign government and releasing a person’s full name could be considered sensitive or even dangerous.

— Laura Tillman, Hartford Courant, 11 Sep. 2026