as in to besiege
to surround (as a fortified place) with armed forces for the purpose of capturing or preventing commerce and communication
beleaguered the castle for months
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Recent Examples of beleaguer
The California High-Speed Rail Authority, which seeks to build a high-speed rail line from Los Angeles to San Francisco, has been beleaguered by delays and increasing costs.
—
William Melhado, Sacramento Bee, 7 Jan. 2025
The French president, beleaguered by a political storm which saw the resignation this week of his prime minister Michel Barnier, toured the rebuilt cathedral this week and praised the tireless efforts of the many craftspeople involved – up to 2,000 skilled workers over five years.
—Caroline Frost, Deadline, 7 Dec. 2024
Lenora Chu Displeasure at mass immigration, an east German identity still beleaguered 35 years after the fall of communism, and a dampened economic outlook all provide fertile soil for extremism – prompting one-third of Thuringian voters to choose the far-right ballot.
—Lenora Chu, The Christian Science Monitor, 4 Dec. 2024
The coffee chain has been beleaguered by long lines and complicated custom orders with ballooning price tags, thanks to myriad add-ons.
—Bysasha Rogelberg, Fortune, 27 Nov. 2024
See All Example Sentences for beleaguer
William Melhado, Sacramento Bee, 7 Jan. 2025
The French president, beleaguered by a political storm which saw the resignation this week of his prime minister Michel Barnier, toured the rebuilt cathedral this week and praised the tireless efforts of the many craftspeople involved – up to 2,000 skilled workers over five years.
—Caroline Frost, Deadline, 7 Dec. 2024
Lenora Chu Displeasure at mass immigration, an east German identity still beleaguered 35 years after the fall of communism, and a dampened economic outlook all provide fertile soil for extremism – prompting one-third of Thuringian voters to choose the far-right ballot.
—Lenora Chu, The Christian Science Monitor, 4 Dec. 2024
The coffee chain has been beleaguered by long lines and complicated custom orders with ballooning price tags, thanks to myriad add-ons.
—Bysasha Rogelberg, Fortune, 27 Nov. 2024
See All Example Sentences for beleaguer
Recent Examples of Synonyms for beleaguer
Verb
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When Colorado was besieged by injuries or poor goaltending earlier this season, there were nights when a B or B-minus performance was going to be a loss, even against teams that aren’t very good.—
Corey Masisak,
Denver Post,
26 Mar. 2025
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And while politicians know that there are costs to besieging an independent central bank – financial markets may react negatively or inflation may flare up – short-term control of a powerful policy tool can prove irresistible.—
Ana Carolina Garriga,
The Conversation,
18 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Beleaguer.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/beleaguer. Accessed 5 May. 2025.
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