besieged

past tense of besiege
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

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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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 besieged The settlers who carried out the attack in Jalud overnight are the same group who besieged the home of a Palestinian-American in the neighboring village of Qusra last month, local residents say. — Zeena Saifi, CNN Money, 29 Sep. 2026 There has been a spate of Israeli settler violence in the West Bank, and the village of Qusra has been besieged by Israeli settlers for weeks. — F. Brinley Bruton, NBC news, 29 Aug. 2026 One of them, Muammar Ibrahim, reported for Al Jazeera’s Arabic network while the city was besieged. — Mat Nashed, Christian Science Monitor, 27 Aug. 2026 Indiana, besieged by injuries after reaching the 2025 NBA Finals, was 1-12 when Mathurin returned. — William Guillory, New York Times, 26 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 The staff means business, with the host stand besieged by walk-ins, take-out orders, and impatient guests waiting outside. — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 30 July 2026 As a result, the federal court in South Florida has been besieged with habeas petitions. — Jay Weaver, Miami Herald, 30 July 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for besieged
Verb
  • As pupils blockaded high schools, large crowds waving flags and placards gathered in Marseille, Strasbourg and other cities.
    — NICOLAS GARRIGA, Arkansas Online, 7 Oct. 2026
  • On Tuesday, people spilled into the streets for a nationwide day of protest after over two weeks of student demonstrations that have blockaded schools across the country.
    — Ellen Francis, Washington Post, 6 Oct. 2026
Verb
  • They were plagued by mistakes throughout the first four games.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 9 Oct. 2026
  • Inadequate funding and the resultant low pay for correctional officers, when compared to other law enforcement agencies, have plagued the bureau for years.
    — Scott Peyton, Washington Post, 8 Oct. 2026
Verb
  • Prosecutors have petitioned to have his probation revoked in the latter.
    — Michael Ruiz, FOXNews.com, 6 Oct. 2026
  • The footage was released Friday after news outlets, including ABC News, petitioned the court.
    — Aaron Katersky, ABC News, 2 Oct. 2026
Verb
  • Shortly after, Iran attacked commercial vessels crossing the Strait of Hormuz, unraveling the precarious cease-fire the country had struck with the United States three months earlier.
    — Narges Bajoghli, Foreign Affairs, 9 Oct. 2026
  • Russia also attacked warehouse facilities in the Bucha district of the Kyiv region on Friday, wounding three people, Ukraine’s Interior Ministry said on Telegram.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 9 Oct. 2026
Verb
  • Love contains the seeds of its own destruction—the cruelty and self-absorption that turns the afflicted against one another, and themselves.
    — Merve Emre, New Yorker, 8 Oct. 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
Verb
  • With Blauvelt's killer still on the loose, her family begged for answers.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 9 Oct. 2026
  • Commenters on both Babsky and Johnson's makeup artist Georgie Eisdel’s Instagram posts begged the artists to share shade details.
    — Kara Nesvig, Allure, 8 Oct. 2026
Verb
  • Ed Sheeran‘s beleaguered Gillette Stadium concerts tonight and Saturday have been canceled due to the nor’easter threatening New England with severe weather.
    — Greg Evans, Deadline, 25 Sep. 2026
  • Multi-talented All-Star forward Shawn Marion had just been traded from upbeat Phoenix (34-14) to beleaguered Miami (9-37) in a deal for disgruntled center Shaquille O’Neal.
    — Chris Perkins, Sun Sentinel, 24 Sep. 2026
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

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Cite this Entry

“Besieged.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/besieged. Accessed 11 Oct. 2026.

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