Synonyms of beleaguer

beleaguer

verb

bi-ˈlē-gər 

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

• besiege
• attack
• encircle
• blockade
• assault
• leaguer
• invest
• lay siege to
• assail
• beset
• dam
• cut off
• barricade
• confine
• isolate
• block
• insulate
• quarantine

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• liberate
• release
• rescue
• free
• emancipate

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of beleaguer

In New Jersey — a state beleaguered by waste and high costs in its public health plans — teachers and other school workers face premium hikes of 34% next year. — Bob Herman, STAT, 18 Aug. 2026

The department has been further beleaguered by concerns that leaders manipulated crime statistics to boost its image. — Emily Hallas, The Washington Examiner, 10 Aug. 2026

Local government officials have played a key role in orchestrating the competition’s spread, eying the boost for businesses in a domestic economy beleaguered by weak consumption. — Simone McCarthy, CNN Money, 21 July 2026

In Georgia, chicken farmers are beleaguered by bedbugs, which have hopped from hotel rooms to poultry farms, and from there to workers’ homes. — Burkhard Bilger, New Yorker, 29 June 2026

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