BESET Synonyms: 155 Similar and Opposite Words

beset

verb

bi-ˈset

Definition of beset

as in to plague

to cause persistent suffering to he's been beset by a lack of self-confidence virtually his entire life

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in to attack

to take sudden, violent action against the unsuspecting tourists were suddenly beset by robbers

Synonyms & Similar Words

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 beset His detractors see him as a polarizing leader who, beset by an ongoing corruption trial, dragged out the war in Gaza and its hostage crisis for political reasons. — Arkansas Online, 28 Oct. 2026 But the $11 billion project, which is under construction, has been beset by controversy after the government floated a plan to divert it into an existing road. — Alexander Onukwue, semafor.com, 28 Oct. 2026 In June, the district attorney’s office filed public nuisance lawsuits intended to shut down two motels, Super 7 Inn and Delux Inn, on South Freeway in Fort Worth that are beset by crime. — Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 24 Oct. 2026 The director general was attempting to lift the gloom after being beset with questions from anxious employees about job losses, service reductions, and general retrenchment. — Max Goldbart, Deadline, 24 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for beset

Recent Examples of Synonyms for beset

Verb

Gallagher has also sought to tie McGuire to cost-of-living problems plaguing Californians, such as the price of gasoline and housing.

— Andrew Graham, Sacbee.com, 4 Nov. 2026
Yet the overall mission is plagued with challenges, including the ongoing fighting, questions over American support and the outcome of the upcoming French elections.

— ABC News, ABC News, 3 Nov. 2026

Definition of plague

Verb

Hawley said the majority of conflicts between humans and coyotes occurs when a pet owner tries to save their pet from an attacking coyote.

— Stephen Underwood, Hartford Courant, 2 Nov. 2026
Running as the populist candidate, Brown has repeatedly attacked Husted as the face of data centers in the state and pushed to take on Silicon Valley if elected to office again.

— Mabinty Quarshie, The Washington Examiner, 2 Nov. 2026

Definition of attack

Verb

The margin was so wide that issues that afflicted Republicans’ electoral chances elsewhere in the country, including high gas prices and the Iran war, didn’t substantially harm Tuberville.

— Brady Knox, The Washington Examiner, 4 Nov. 2026
Today, Alzheimer’s afflicts roughly one in nine Americans over sixty-five and, along with related dementias, has been estimated to cost the economy about three-quarters of a trillion dollars a year.

— Manvir Singh, New Yorker, 2 Nov. 2026

Definition of afflict

Verb

An anti-corruption commission spokesperson told state media Wednesday that officers had gone to the lodge to seize a Lamborghini and a Mercedes-Benz when one of the officials was assaulted.

— ABC News, ABC News, 5 Nov. 2026
Brand had been accused of assaulting six women between 1999 and 2009.

— Raechal Shewfelt, Entertainment Weekly, 5 Nov. 2026

Definition of assault

Verb

The Paxton campaign decried the reporting, without denying it, while saying he had been politically persecuted.

— Kaia Hubbard, CBS News, 4 Nov. 2026
The company named all its weapons after Ukrainian intellectuals and artists killed or persecuted by Russians in the last century.

— Joanna Kakissis, NPR, 29 Oct. 2026

Definition of persecute

Verb

Known as The Max, the facility was at the center of a bribery scheme that led to the conviction of the former mayor of neighboring McCook, whose office was raided the same day as Getty’s.

— Jake Sheridan, Chicago Tribune, 4 Nov. 2026
However, it was ruled last month that the search warrants that allowed police to raid his homes were unlawful.

— Stephanie Petit, PEOPLE, 3 Nov. 2026

Definition of raid

Verb

Lawyers and lobbyists with expertise in congressional investigations and close ties to Democrats report being besieged by private-sector clients braced for a new world of oversight.

— Ruth Marcus, New Yorker, 4 Nov. 2026
French cities have been shaken in recent weeks by vandalism and looting sparked by cost-of-living demonstrations, amid a broader crisis besieging the country’s lame-duck centrist government that has spiked French bond yields.

— Brendan Ruberry, semafor.com, 22 Oct. 2026

Definition of besiege

Verb

Ohio State jumped to a 14-0 lead late in the first quarter when Jackson ran it in from 16 and 8 yards before Oregon stormed back.

— Joe Reedy, Chicago Tribune, 8 Nov. 2026
Ohio State jumped to a 14-0 lead late in the first quarter as Jackson ran it in from 16 and 8 yards before Oregon stormed back.

— ABC News, ABC News, 7 Nov. 2026

Definition of storm

Browse Nearby Words

beseems

beset

besets

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Style

“Beset.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/beset. Accessed 10 Nov. 2026.

Copy Citation

Synonyms of beset

verb

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

defer

Popular in Grammar & Usage

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

31 Useful Rhetorical Devices

More Commonly Misspelled Words

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

Popular in Wordplay

Great Big List of Beautiful and Useless Words, Vol. 5

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

The Longest Long Words List

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World

Popular

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

Great Big List of Beautiful and Useless Words, Vol. 5

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Games & Quizzes