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

Synonyms & Similar Words

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 The Archipelago muddles on for fifty years until the Lough’s beset by an ecological crisis. — Literary Hub, 30 July 2026 Drawing on the testimonies of 255 workers across eight factories in Pakistan, the report portrays an industry beset by pervasive unlawful wages, excessive working hours, harassment, bullying, surveillance and intimidation. — Jasmin Malik Chua, Footwear News, 24 July 2026 Any Olympics are beset by logistical questions in the run-up. — Barry Svrluga, New York Times, 24 July 2026 Residents struggled to understand the process of receiving help from FEMA, people were beset by scams and price gouging, and tenants whose homes had been destroyed or made uninhabitable puzzled over their rights. — David A. Graham, The Atlantic, 23 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
  • What did Widow’s Bay creator and showrunner Katie Dippold see in Matthew Rhys as Tom Loftis, mayor of the New England island town plagued by a historic curse?
    — Beatrice Verhoeven, HollywoodReporter, 7 Aug. 2026
  • South Africa is plagued by violence, but extensive research has found that white South African farmers are not victims of crime at higher rates than other groups.
    — Anna Maria Barry-Jester, ProPublica, 7 Aug. 2026
Definition of plague
Verb
  • New arrival Maghnes Akliouche adds another attacking option this summer, while the signing of Lucas Digne from Villa gives this particular fixture an early subplot, with the full-back facing his old club straight out of the gate.
    — Dean Jones, New York Times, 11 Aug. 2026
  • The woman was in the Silver River in Marion County, just south of Gainesville, when she was attacked on the arm on Saturday, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission said.
    — Emily Shapiro, ABC News, 10 Aug. 2026
Definition of attack
Verb
  • That means protections for those who have been vaccinated will weaken and wane as the disease afflicts those who haven’t, threatening public health as a whole.
    — New York Daily News Editorial Board, New York Daily News, 12 Aug. 2026
  • Health advocates consider an official definition of ultraprocessed food a key step toward bringing greater scrutiny to meals that are blamed for multiple chronic health problems afflicting Americans.
    — Matthew Perrone, Fortune, 11 Aug. 2026
Definition of afflict
Verb
  • Police say the victim courageously fought for her life and escaped to the breezeway of the apartment, screaming for help as Reyes continued to assault her.
    — CBS News, CBS News, 13 Aug. 2026
  • In addition to the federal investigations, Mills has been accused of misrepresenting his military record, engaging in unethical business dealings, assaulting a girlfriend and stalking an ex-girlfriend.
    — Annie Martin, The Orlando Sentinel, 12 Aug. 2026
Definition of assault
Verb
  • Although the two programs similarly target humanitarian concerns, being a TPS holder does not guarantee asylum, which requires that applicants prove they’ve been persecuted on specific grounds.
    — Cameron Pugh, Christian Science Monitor, 1 Aug. 2026
  • In The Bacchae, Dionysus becomes violent only because his existence has been denied and his followers persecuted, and his maenads similarly become destructive only when pursued.
    — Angelica Frey, JSTOR Daily, 31 July 2026
Definition of persecute
Verb
  • Members of the Montreal City Police Department found the weapon, a Glock 26, on August 30, 2024, when officers raided a home in relation to a kidnapping investigation, court records show.
    — Mark Morales, CNN Money, 9 Aug. 2026
  • In September of 2022, Spanish police arrested an Irishman suspected of laundering money for the Kinahan organization after raiding a property in Malaga on the Costa del Sol.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 9 Aug. 2026
Definition of raid
Verb
  • But the film does not explain what ‘hospitality’ has to do with a narrative situation in which the Greeks have been besieging Troy for 10 years already [which Nolan’s movie does not depict]; the Trojans are not their hosts but their enemies in war.
    — Zack Sharf, Variety, 5 Aug. 2026
  • And yet, besieged by the same afflictions of greed, self-interest and a comical inability to work together, horse racing is doing its damndest to similarly mess up its very good thing.
    — Dana O’Neil, CNN Money, 5 Aug. 2026
Definition of besiege
Verb
  • Residents of a Newark, New Jersey, apartment complex got a startling wakeup call Sunday morning when police in tactical gear, responding to reports of multiple people shot, stormed their building.
    — Andrew Ramos, CBS News, 10 Aug. 2026
  • Eventually, Daemon uses Caraxes to burn down the entrance so that the Blacks can storm the town in search of Ormund and his Rhaenyra’s latest rival, Daeron (Benjamin Evan Ainsworth).
    — Jennifer Maas, Variety, 10 Aug. 2026
Definition of storm

Browse Nearby Words

beseems
beset
besets
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Cite this Entry

“Beset.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/beset. Accessed 15 Aug. 2026.

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