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 opportunity to host a PGA Tour event which had beleaguered prior title sponsors came knocking.
—
Michael Loré, Forbes, 10 Jan. 2025
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
See All Example Sentences for beleaguer
Michael Loré, Forbes, 10 Jan. 2025
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
See All Example Sentences for beleaguer
Recent Examples of Synonyms for beleaguer
besiege
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
Cite this Entry
“Beleaguer.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/beleaguer. Accessed 18 Sep. 2025.
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