1
as in blockaded
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
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in plagued
to cause persistent suffering to
a family besieged by worries about the faltering economy
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in petitioned
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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Recent Examples of besieged
Early on, the Biden team had been besieged with desperate pleas to ship more of the then scarce vaccine.
—
David Blumenthal, STAT, 24 Mar. 2026
When news circulated about the gathering, Temple Emanu-El was besieged with inquiries from the local media.
—Joshua M. Davidson, New York Daily News, 22 Mar. 2026
The interview takes a bad turn when the Ralph Lauren office building is besieged by the tabloid mob.
—Rafaela Bassili, Vulture, 13 Mar. 2026
But the regime, besieged by insurrections across the country, abandoned Manbij.
—Anand Gopal, New Yorker, 28 Feb. 2026
The Kings, who snapped a franchise-record 16-game losing streak with Monday’s win over the Memphis Grizzlies, have been besieged by injuries this season.
—Jason Anderson, Sacbee.com, 25 Feb. 2026
The operation goes awry when one of the Black Hawk helicopters is brought down and its crew, including Durant (Ron Eldard), killed or besieged.
—David Faris, TheWeek, 24 Feb. 2026
Destruction in Mariupol At the start of the war, Russian forces besieged Mariupol before the port city fell in May 2022.
—Yuras Karmanau, Los Angeles Times, 20 Feb. 2026
The Adams administration was besieged with corruption at every level—the Blackness of the perpetrators was of no solace.
—Literary Hub, 5 Feb. 2026
David Blumenthal, STAT, 24 Mar. 2026
When news circulated about the gathering, Temple Emanu-El was besieged with inquiries from the local media.
—Joshua M. Davidson, New York Daily News, 22 Mar. 2026
The interview takes a bad turn when the Ralph Lauren office building is besieged by the tabloid mob.
—Rafaela Bassili, Vulture, 13 Mar. 2026
But the regime, besieged by insurrections across the country, abandoned Manbij.
—Anand Gopal, New Yorker, 28 Feb. 2026
The Kings, who snapped a franchise-record 16-game losing streak with Monday’s win over the Memphis Grizzlies, have been besieged by injuries this season.
—Jason Anderson, Sacbee.com, 25 Feb. 2026
The operation goes awry when one of the Black Hawk helicopters is brought down and its crew, including Durant (Ron Eldard), killed or besieged.
—David Faris, TheWeek, 24 Feb. 2026
Destruction in Mariupol At the start of the war, Russian forces besieged Mariupol before the port city fell in May 2022.
—Yuras Karmanau, Los Angeles Times, 20 Feb. 2026
The Adams administration was besieged with corruption at every level—the Blackness of the perpetrators was of no solace.
—Literary Hub, 5 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for besieged
Verb
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But, in response, Iran has attacked Israel and its Gulf neighbors and blockaded the vital Strait of Hormuz trade route, delivering a global economic shock that has sent energy prices surging and threatened food shortages for billions.—
Alexander Smith,
NBC news,
25 Mar. 2026
-
Wind and solar cannot be embargoed, blockaded, or shut off by a foreign power.—
David Frykman,
Fortune,
25 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
But as these researchers are the first to admit, the difficulty of defining intelligence is as old as the study of thinking itself—and has plagued artificial intelligence as a field from its very earliest days.—
Jeremy Kahn,
Fortune,
30 Mar. 2026
-
The broader transportation program was also plagued with allegations of fraud in 2023 -- shortly after HCPF, relying on an apparently faulty analysis, recommended a significant increase in reimbursement rates in that service.—
Seth Klamann,
Denver Post,
30 Mar. 2026
Verb
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By 1838, Prudhomme was dead, and his daughter petitioned to divide the estate.—
Elijah Winkler,
Kansas City Star,
29 Mar. 2026
-
The Beall property was at one time in Fort Worth’s ETJ, but Beall petitioned the city to relinquish it.—
Matthew Adams,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
27 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Kuwait’s Al Salmi tanker was attacked at the port connected to the United Arab Emirates city better known as a destination for influencers, Reuters and The New York Times reported.—
Michael Loria,
USA Today,
31 Mar. 2026
-
The Houthis have previously attacked commercial ships in the Red Sea to disrupt the flow of oil, gas and other commodities through the Bab el-Mandeb strait.—
Lucia I Suarez Sang,
CBS News,
31 Mar. 2026
Verb
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The outcome will likely transform the already heated debate over social media addiction as a concept, what role apps may play in engineering it, and whether individuals like Kaley can prove they’re afflicted.—
Sonja Sharp,
Los Angeles Times,
25 Mar. 2026
-
The disease afflicted homosexuals, Haitians, haemophiliacs and heroin addicts.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
16 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Curry’s passenger begged officers to help Curry but Billups-Taylor blithely dismissed this concern, stating that Curry was acting, court documents state.—
Deborah Laverty,
Chicago Tribune,
29 Mar. 2026
-
In an embarrassingly amateurish political stunt, Bianco blew the president a kiss and all but begged for an endorsement by seizing 650,000 ballots from last November’s election to determine whether they were fraudulently counted.—
Steve Lopez,
Los Angeles Times,
26 Mar. 2026
Verb
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On Tuesday, Midwestern states were beleaguered by strong winds, storms, reports of tornadoes and hail.—
Marlene Lenthang,
NBC news,
11 Mar. 2026
-
Still, many states’ systems were beleaguered with payout delays that continue today.—
Jacqueline Munis,
Fortune,
9 Mar. 2026
Verb
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The Eduiot site includes photographs and audiovisual material, and features the accounts of parents, siblings, cousins, nephews and nieces of Jews persecuted and disappeared under the dictatorship.—
Juan Melamed,
Sun Sentinel,
31 Mar. 2026
-
The helpless and much persecuted turtles were cooked in a rich, creamy soup with chunks of meat.—
James Stout,
Outside,
29 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Besieged.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/besieged. Accessed 2 Apr. 2026.
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