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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If your flower beds were besieged with pests or fungal diseases, the fallen leaf litter and stems from those plants should not be left in the garden.—
Mary Marlowe Leverette,
Southern Living,
4 Oct. 2025
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Ruling an isolated, ruined, and besieged Gaza Strip will not get Hamas closer to this objective—but building up a strong political presence in the West Bank could, and accepting the latest proposal could free Hamas to do this.—
Hussein Ibish,
The Atlantic,
1 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Beleaguer.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/beleaguer. Accessed 8 Oct. 2025.
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