beset

verb

bi-ˈset How to pronounce beset (audio)
Definition of besetnext
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

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of beset But Ogles, a member of the House Freedom Caucus, was also beset by a history of inflammatory remarks, including calling for a ban on immigration from mostly Muslim countries. — Mabinty Quarshie, The Washington Examiner, 7 Aug. 2026 If your garden has been beset by destructive crawling insects like ants, beetles, and slugs, pesticides often seem like the clear solution. — Abby Monteil, The Spruce, 1 Aug. 2026 The elimination of the TPS program affects more than 300,000 Haitians nationwide, who now face the possibility of deportation to a country beset by widespread gang warfare, unreliable healthcare, cholera outbreaks and deadly drone attacks. — Marc Ramirez, USA Today, 31 July 2026 The Archipelago muddles on for fifty years until the Lough’s beset by an ecological crisis. — Literary Hub, 30 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for beset
Recent Examples of Synonyms for beset
  1. plague
  2. attack
  3. afflict
  4. assault
  5. persecute
  6. raid
  7. besiege
  8. storm
Verb
  • Poliński said Zosia would likely have been blamed for misfortunes such as disease and famine that often plagued the region in the 17th century, which people sometimes attributed to supernatural activity by the dead.
    — Katie Hunt, CNN Money, 21 Aug. 2026
  • Frightened that she may be plagued by the same mental illness that felled her mom, Gemma stubbornly refuses to believe anything is wrong.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 21 Aug. 2026
Definition of plague
Verb
  • Somebody years ago should have realized NSA Bahrain could be attacked, its air defense might fail and it could be disabled in a long war.
    — John Seiler, Oc Register, 25 Aug. 2026
  • The meeting was not received well by many Democrats, who attacked Jeffries over it.
    — Brady Knox, The Washington Examiner, 25 Aug. 2026
Definition of attack
Verb
  • It’s typically diagnosed in adults — only about five births each year are afflicted by the condition nationwide.
    — Angie Leventis Lourgos, Chicago Tribune, 22 Aug. 2026
  • Weiss has since learned he and his uncles weren’t uniquely afflicted.
    — Lilian Raji, Forbes.com, 21 Aug. 2026
Definition of afflict
Verb
  • Scott and Dylan walked away from faculty members and the video production crew and and Scott allegedly assaulted her in a janitor’s closet.
    — Steve Henson, Los Angeles Times, 26 Aug. 2026
  • The reality star and superyacht bosun’s statement comes after Rolling Stone reported last week that he was arrested in Australia last December for assaulting an unnamed 29-year-old woman at a Sydney-area apartment complex.
    — Cheyenne Roundtree, Rolling Stone, 26 Aug. 2026
Definition of assault
Verb
  • Other Eurasian emperors of the time also did not persecute occult practitioners as Ivan did in the lead-up to the second oprichnina, actions more in line with attitudes in early modern Christian Europe than those common among rulers of Asia.
    — Foreign Affairs, Foreign Affairs, 18 Aug. 2026
  • Many Marranos persecuted by the Inquisition did secretly maintain a Jewish identity.
    — Adam Gopnik, New Yorker, 17 Aug. 2026
Definition of persecute
Verb
  • That summer, Detroit was paralyzed by a violent uprising, which erupted after the city’s predominantly white police force raided a night club in a Black neighborhood.
    — Rozina Ali, New Yorker, 21 Aug. 2026
  • Check it out… ‘Ruthless Podcast’ dives into Swalwell’s Fang Fang scandal and the FBI raiding his home.
    — , FOXNews.com, 21 Aug. 2026
Definition of raid
Verb
  • Israeli police have not announced any arrests or charges against any settler allegedly involved in besieging the Palestinian homes and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has not publicly commented on the incident.
    — Reuters, USA Today, 21 Aug. 2026
  • Israeli settlers have been besieging homes in the Palestinian village of Qusra for more than a week, with the Israeli military failing to end the violent intimidation campaign.
    — Chantal Da Silva, NBC news, 17 Aug. 2026
Definition of besiege
Verb
  • Gauff, who won the 2023 title beating Karolina Muchova, stormed out to a 5-0 lead in the first set on Sunday before winning 6-2.
    — Jeff Wallner, Chicago Tribune, 24 Aug. 2026
  • Or what about storming the field, the tradition that follows a momentous win, when order dissolves and players brace themselves for a horde of fans pouring out of the stands.
    — Ira Gorawara, New York Times, 23 Aug. 2026
Definition of storm

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beset
besets
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Cite this Entry

“Beset.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/beset. Accessed 27 Aug. 2026.

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