1
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
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
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
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Recent Examples of beset
That event was still beset by confrontations, with someone jumping on a police officer, protesters smashing glass panes in the doors of the venue and members of the Proud Boys – a far-right group – clashing with demonstrators, according to local media reports.
—
Curt Devine, CNN Money, 12 Sep. 2025
Finally, Europe is beset with a nationalist populism and growing social welfare costs just as military expenditures are set to increase.
—John Rennie Short, The Conversation, 11 Sep. 2025
The high-speed rail project, which voters first approved in 2008, has been beset in recent years by funding constraints and lawsuits stymying construction.
—Lia Russell, Sacbee.com, 11 Sep. 2025
Although much of his first term was beset with battles against Republican legislative leaders, in recent years Evers has successfully negotiated with GOP leaders on major policy items, including the 2025-27 state budget.
—Jessie Opoien, jsonline.com, 8 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for beset
Curt Devine, CNN Money, 12 Sep. 2025
Finally, Europe is beset with a nationalist populism and growing social welfare costs just as military expenditures are set to increase.
—John Rennie Short, The Conversation, 11 Sep. 2025
The high-speed rail project, which voters first approved in 2008, has been beset in recent years by funding constraints and lawsuits stymying construction.
—Lia Russell, Sacbee.com, 11 Sep. 2025
Although much of his first term was beset with battles against Republican legislative leaders, in recent years Evers has successfully negotiated with GOP leaders on major policy items, including the 2025-27 state budget.
—Jessie Opoien, jsonline.com, 8 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for beset
Recent Examples of Synonyms for beset
Verb
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Antisemitism, misogyny, anti-LGBTQ rhetoric and his constant airing of family dirty laundry have plagued the Grammy winner for nearly a decade, in parallel with his flirtations with MAGA and Christian salvation.—
Matt Donnelly,
Variety,
22 Sep. 2025
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In the mid-1970s, the tiny farming town of Visalia, California, was plagued by a serial ransacker and rapist.—
Ian Berry,
CNN Money,
22 Sep. 2025
Verb
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In a new warning, a senior Iranian army official said Tehran was ready to broaden its military reach beyond conventional strikes if attacked.—
Amira El-Fekki,
MSNBC Newsweek,
18 Sep. 2025
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Taylor fills the bootstraps of Perfidia Beverly Hills, a formidable leader armed with a rifle fighting for the cause, her main prerogative is to overtake the institutions that imprison and attack vulnerable groups.—
Essence,
Essence,
18 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Health advocates fear this could lead to higher rates of illness among children, which could worsen the health care disparities that already afflict the Black community.—
Nicquel Terry Ellis,
CNN Money,
14 Sep. 2025
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Measles is a highly contagious, vaccine-preventable disease caused by a virus that primarily and most severely afflicts children.—
Mary Walrath-Holdridge,
USA Today,
12 Sep. 2025
Verb
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In June 2024, her son was arrested on a warrant for assaulting the staff and brought to jail.—
ProPublica,
ProPublica,
22 Sep. 2025
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Among them were the assault of a 27-year CTA veteran who was punched and thrown onto the tracks, an elderly woman shoved off an MBTA bus, and a case in which a man used his belt to assault passengers, as noted in the Department of Transportation's news release.—
Sophia Compton,
FOXNews.com,
21 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Love for our enemies and love for those who persecute us.—
Fatma Tanis,
NPR,
21 Sep. 2025
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Leatherface attacks, but the real villains turn out to be the townsfolk who persecuted the Sawyers after the original massacre.—
Declan Gallagher,
Entertainment Weekly,
21 Sep. 2025
Verb
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In La Cañada Flintridge, California, Chris Yee caught a bold brown bear raiding the family’s garage fridge and swiping a slice of watermelon.—
Ronnie Li,
USA Today,
22 Sep. 2025
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Desrochers, and other former MPRM leadership, including Defendant Caitlin McGee Swartz, conspired to raid MPRM’s employees and clients while they were still employed by MPRM.—
Dominic Patten,
Deadline,
22 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Through the first-person narration of his protagonist, Nicholas, a teenager suddenly besieged by anxiety, Clune conveys with uncanny vividness what a panic attack feels like.—
Scott Stossel,
The Atlantic,
9 Sep. 2025
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Israel tried to take over Gaza City before in this war, besieging it and launching raids in its streets, but tens of thousands of people remained.—
Aya Batrawy,
NPR,
5 Sep. 2025
Verb
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That argument ends when Steven is involved in a car crash moments after Taylor storms out of the car during the fight, but the effects of it linger throughout the season as the pair find their way back to one another.—
Katie Campione,
Deadline,
18 Sep. 2025
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During the October 7, 2023 attack, Hamas and several other militant groups stormed the Nova Music Festival and nearby communities in southern Israel, killed more than 1,200 people and took 251 others hostage.—
Elizabeth Wolfe,
CNN Money,
18 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Beset.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/beset. Accessed 24 Sep. 2025.
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