besiege

verb

be·​siege bi-ˈsēj How to pronounce besiege (audio)
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

Examples of besiege in a Sentence

Customers have besieged the company with questions.
Recent Examples on the Web
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.
By 1972, Argentina was besieged by unprecedented political violence. Daniel Alarcón, New Yorker, 30 June 2025 Gas stations are besieged, and shops are emptying of essentials. Scott Peterson, Christian Science Monitor, 16 June 2025 The association has been besieged with antitrust lawsuits brought by athletes in their 20s who don’t want to leave college sports. Michael McCann, Sportico.com, 12 June 2025 The footage jumped between a struggling local township and its wealthy local lords, both equally besieged by epidemics of disease. Kambole Campbell, Variety, 10 June 2025 See All Example Sentences for besiege

Word History

First Known Use

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of besiege was in the 13th century

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Cite this Entry

“Besiege.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/besiege. Accessed 5 Jul. 2025.

Kids Definition

besiege

verb
be·​siege bi-ˈsēj How to pronounce besiege (audio)
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

More from Merriam-Webster on besiege

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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