siege

1 of 2

noun

ˈsēj 

 also  ˈsēzh

1

a

: a military blockade of a city or fortified place to compel it to surrender

b

: a persistent or serious attack (as of illness)

2

obsolete : a seat of distinction : throne

siege

2 of 2

verb

sieged; sieging

transitive verb

: to lay siege to : to attack militarily : besiege

Insurgents rampaged through the countryside, sacked haciendas and mills, occupied small towns, and sieged the largest cities, Cusco and La Paz.

—Sergio Serulnikov

Phrases

lay siege to

1

: to besiege militarily

2

: to pursue diligently or persistently

Synonyms

Noun

• attack
• bout
• seizure
• case
• spell

Examples of siege in a Sentence

Noun

The castle was built to withstand a siege.

The city is in a state of siege.

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

The final half-hour did not make for entertaining viewing, but United’s compact 5-4-1 had just enough to deal with the majority of Liverpool’s siege-like attempts. —Carl Anka, New York Times, 19 Oct. 2025

In a time of constant siege and bombardment, people feared that public dissent would be weaponized by Israel. —Mohammed R. Mhawish, New Yorker, 14 Oct. 2025

Verb

Moreover, the Geneva Conventions themselves do not require a sieging party to allow in aid when it will be commandeered by the enemy or provide a military advantage, both of which are indisputably the case with Hamas in Gaza. —Matt Robison, Newsweek, 21 Nov. 2024

Police then began negotiations with other people in the home before authorities eventually sieged the house with armored vehicles. —Christopher Cann, USA TODAY, 1 May 2024

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English sege, from Anglo-French, seat, blockade, from Old French *siegier to seat, settle, from Vulgar Latin *sedicare, from Latin sedēre to sit — more at sit

First Known Use

Noun

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Verb

14th century, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing siege

• siege mentality
• under siege

Rhymes for siege

• besiege

Kids Definition

siege

noun

ˈsēj 

1

: the placing of an army around a fortified place or city to force it to surrender

2

: a lasting attack (as of illness)