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 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 But the film does not explain what ‘hospitality’ has to do with a narrative situation in which the Greeks have been besieging Troy for 10 years already [which Nolan’s movie does not depict]; the Trojans are not their hosts but their enemies in war. — Zack Sharf, Variety, 5 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for besiege

Recent Examples of Synonyms for besiege

Verb

Qatar and Oman have also been attacked by Iranian drones and missiles.

— Lauren Morganbesser, semafor.com, 22 Sep. 2026
Fire grows after manhunt keeps crews out The Mineral Fire grew to 18 acres by Monday morning after the armed manhunt prevented firefighters from attacking it for hours.

— Daniel Hunt, Sacbee.com, 21 Sep. 2026

Definition of attack

Verb

The lawsuit alleges the project was plagued with sloppy workmanship and insufficient oversight.

— Alex Wigglesworth, Los Angeles Times, 23 Sep. 2026
But the same issues that plagued him a year ago — interceptions and an inability to see the field — have carried over to this season.

— Tyler Estep, AJC.com, 23 Sep. 2026

Definition of plague

Verb

During what became known as the Timber Wars of the late 1980s and 1990s, activists occupied giant redwoods, chained themselves to logging equipment and blockaded roads across California, Oregon and Washington.

— Annika Hammerschlag, Los Angeles Times, 16 Sep. 2026
France About 50 fishermen blockaded a major fuel depot in the coastal southern French town of Fos-sur-Mer on Tuesday, in part to protest rising fuel prices, according to CNN affiliate BFMTV.

— Hira Humayun, CNN Money, 15 Sep. 2026

Definition of blockade

Verb

Here’s my Sunday postgame piece on a miserable condition that has afflicted Dolphins fans for years, and our plea to Jon-Eric Sullivan to fix it.

— Barry Jackson, Miami Herald, 20 Sep. 2026
Singh and Jaggseer, like Beyoncé and Lil Nas X before them, highlight an identity crisis afflicting modern country music.

— Harmeet Kaur, CNN Money, 19 Sep. 2026

Definition of afflict

Verb

Mullens was one of three female swimmers who formally petitioned the Virginia State Board of Health to enact the regulation, along with Hungarian Olympian Réka György and former Roanoke teammate Carter Satterfield.

— Jackson Thompson OutKick, FOXNews.com, 20 Sep. 2026
New Jersey’s attorney general petitioned the Supreme Court, asking the justices to step in.

— Rena Rowe, The Washington Examiner, 19 Sep. 2026

Definition of petition

Verb

The shoe is a high-heeled sandal made of nuanced lines and subtle curves, appearing to wrap the foot in ribbon-like bands that encircle the ankle and fasten with a gold buckle.

— Karla Rodriguez, Footwear News, 24 Sep. 2026
Ironically, the city’s position in a beautiful valley—encircled by the ridges of the Cumberland Plateau, at the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains—also led to some persistent environmental issues.

— Daliah Singer, Condé Nast Traveler, 22 Sep. 2026

Definition of encircle

Verb

Some with final removal orders also have legal protections against deportation to their countries of origin based on the likelihood they would be tortured or persecuted.

— Ryan J. Foley, Los Angeles Times, 21 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