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
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to plague
to cause persistent suffering to
a family besieged by worries about the faltering economy
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3
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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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of besiege
Cable news is besieged on one side by changing user behavior and on the other by unforgiving economics — one eroding attention, the other bleeding resources.
—
Andy Meek, Forbes.com, 4 June 2025
Take a guess which group was responsible for besieging Laura Bailey, who played Abby in the game, with death threats.
—Alan Sepinwall, Rolling Stone, 21 Apr. 2025
San Francisco’s Animal Care and Control was besieged with calls about the dangerous encounters with the problematic Crissy Field animal.
—Heather Knight, New York Times, 19 May 2025
In its 18-month campaign in Gaza, Israel has stood out by carrying out an open campaign on hospitals, besieging and raiding them, some several times, as well as hitting multiple others in strikes while accusing Hamas of using them as cover for its fighters.
—Samy Magdy, Chicago Tribune, 13 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for besiege
Andy Meek, Forbes.com, 4 June 2025
Take a guess which group was responsible for besieging Laura Bailey, who played Abby in the game, with death threats.
—Alan Sepinwall, Rolling Stone, 21 Apr. 2025
San Francisco’s Animal Care and Control was besieged with calls about the dangerous encounters with the problematic Crissy Field animal.
—Heather Knight, New York Times, 19 May 2025
In its 18-month campaign in Gaza, Israel has stood out by carrying out an open campaign on hospitals, besieging and raiding them, some several times, as well as hitting multiple others in strikes while accusing Hamas of using them as cover for its fighters.
—Samy Magdy, Chicago Tribune, 13 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for besiege
Recent Examples of Synonyms for besiege
Verb
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Boone acknowledged that location will be key for Stroman, who can no longer attack hitters head-on at this stage of his career.—
Gary Phillips,
New York Daily News,
28 June 2025
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The wild and ugly scenes saw rioters attack law enforcement with rocks and Molotov cocktails while others burned vehicles and other property.—
Michael Dorgan,
FOXNews.com,
28 June 2025
Verb
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Much of the documentary explores Walters' insecurities, which plagued her despite her incredible accomplishments.—
Gillian Telling,
People.com,
16 June 2025
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American aviation has been plagued with several tragedies this year, starting with the fatal midair collision between American Airlines Flight 5432 and a military Black Hawk helicopter in Washington, D.C., in which 67 people died.—
Theresa Braine,
New York Daily News,
16 June 2025
Verb
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Orlov’s brutal playoff showing begs the question of whether or not this is the start of the end for him.—
Dom Luszczyszyn,
New York Times,
18 June 2025
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Which begs the question, how many breaches have there been, and have any other third-party contractors aside from TaskUs been compromised?—
Jennifer Jolly,
USA Today,
18 June 2025
Verb
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Parliament and the president's office in Kenya's capital Nairobi were barricaded with razor wire, with all access roads blockaded by police.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
26 June 2025
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Small fragments of volcanic debris probably fell like rain through the opening during the first phases of the eruption, causing the four people inside the home to rush to the bedroom and blockade it with a bed to protect themselves.—
Ashley Strickland,
CNN Money,
17 May 2025
Verb
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To put it into perspective, the National Organization for Rare Disorders estimates that one person on every elevator and four people on every bus are afflicted.—
Alexis Kayser,
MSNBC Newsweek,
28 June 2025
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Those afflicted with sickle cell disease and their families turned out in support of World Sickle Cell Day at West Oakland’s DeFremery Park on Sunday.—
Jane Tyska,
Mercury News,
25 June 2025
Verb
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Within a week after petitioning for divorce documents, Heard filed a domestic restraining order against her estranged husband on grounds of domestic abuse charges.—
Karu F. Daniels,
New York Daily News,
23 June 2025
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Some officers petitioned Waddell to stop at Cape Town in late September instead of proceeding on to Liverpool.—
Francine Uenuma,
Smithsonian Magazine,
23 June 2025
Verb
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As of Wednesday evening, the fire crew successfully encircled the entire perimeter of the fire in control lines.—
CA WILDFIRE BOT,
Sacbee.com,
26 June 2025
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These are classic Quad features have been updated and authentically engineered, and work alongside a larger rotary control for the analog volume stage and is encircled with orange LEDs to show the current volume level.—
Mark Sparrow,
Forbes.com,
13 June 2025
Verb
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With his penchant for menacing models, black-out contact lenses and jutting shoulders, Owens is also a forever torchbearer for different kinds of beauty, and a safe haven for people who feel persecuted for being outside the norm.—
Miles Socha,
Footwear News,
25 June 2025
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The regimes that persecute religious minorities are also the ones that oppress women, LGBTQ people, journalists, and dissidents.—
Nuri Kino,
MSNBC Newsweek,
18 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Besiege.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/besiege. Accessed 2 Jul. 2025.
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