besiege

verb

be·​siege bi-ˈsēj 

bē-

besieged; besieging

transitive verb

1

military : to surround with armed forces

The army had besieged the castle.

2

a

: to press with requests : importune

… besieging the royal ministers with petitions …

—T. B. Costain

besieged by the media

b

: to cause worry or distress to : beset

doubts besieged him

besieger noun

Synonyms of besiege

• attack
• blockade
• encircle
• assault
• beleaguer

Examples of besiege in a Sentence

Customers have besieged the company with questions.

Recent Examples on the Web

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

His entries have always been besieged by cameos from popular characters such as Iron Man, Nick Fury, or, as in No Way Home, the Spider-Men that preceded Holland’s take. — David Sims, The Atlantic, 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

This week’s ruling is the latest development in the long-running legal saga, which launched in the wake of resident complaints that the autonomous vehicle company’s round-the-clock operation was besieging them with noise, light and traffic. — Los Angeles Times, 29 July 2026

Word History

First Known Use

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for besiege

• siege

Kids Definition

besiege

verb

be·​siege bi-ˈsēj 

besieged; besieging

1

: to surround with armed forces for the purpose of capturing

2

: to trouble with requests

3

: to cause worry or distress to

doubts besieged him

besieger noun