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 But the story about the war hero Odysseus, whose journey home with his men is beset by sea storms, shipwrecks, gods, monsters and shady ladies, set the template for literature, comic books, science fiction and Hollywood epics for centuries to come. — Jim Beckerman, USA Today, 16 July 2026 With Odysseus away, Penelope is beset by over 100 suitors eager to take the king’s place, while Telemachus is urged by Athena to keep looking for his father. — Britt Hayes, Entertainment Weekly, 16 July 2026 But, within weeks of the project originally reaching completion last month, the water was beset by an algae bloom and pieces of the new coating appeared to be peeling off the bottom. — ABC News, 10 July 2026 But within weeks of the project originally reaching completion last month, the water was beset by an algae bloom and pieces of the new coating appeared to be peeling off the bottom. — Will Weissert, Los Angeles Times, 10 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
  • Entering Friday’s contest, Clark was supposed to be on a minutes restriction due to a back injury that has plagued her all season.
    — James Boyd, New York Times, 18 July 2026
  • But controversies are plaguing the league, Clark has become an unwilling symbol of racial polarization and GOP members of Congress are entering the fray.
    — Joel Mathis, TheWeek, 17 July 2026
Definition of plague
Verb
  • Investigators determined that a group of men had attacked him at his San Jose home and that one of them struck him in the face with the handle of a firearm, police said.
    — Molly Gibbs, Mercury News, 21 July 2026
  • Refineries are maxed out, especially after Iran attacked 30 Middle Eastern refineries during the course of the war.
    — David Goldman, CNN Money, 21 July 2026
Definition of attack
Verb
  • Lotus seems to have ironed out the hesitancy that previously afflicted the dual-clutch ’box, particularly when parking.
    — Tim Pitt, Robb Report, 22 July 2026
  • Forty-nine of the afflicted have been hospitalized; of those, thirty-four have gone home.
    — News Desk, Artforum, 15 July 2026
Definition of afflict
Verb
  • Antinous shocked even the other suitors by insulting and assaulting an elderly beggar; when the beggar revealed himself as Odysseus and slew the suitors, Antinous was the first to die.
    — Gitanjali Roy, Encyclopedia Britannica, 21 July 2026
  • Elordi played high school bully Nate, who in Season 3 dealt with some goons who tormented him and brutally physically assaulted him.
    — Armando Tinoco, Deadline, 21 July 2026
Definition of assault
Verb
  • Also on Wednesday, Blume returned a Pablo Picasso bust, Fernande/Beatrice (1905), to the descendants of German-Jewish dealer Alfred Flechtheim, who was persecuted by the Reich, reports TAN.
    — Brian Boucher, ARTnews.com, 16 July 2026
  • Mahmoud Khalil alleges private groups, including the conservative Heritage Foundation, and public leaders conspired to persecute him.
    — Susan Svrluga, Washington Post, 14 July 2026
Definition of persecute
Verb
  • Pride events are held today in San Diego to honor the Stonewall uprising of 1969, when police raided the Stonewall Inn in New York City and patrons fought back in a dayslong confrontation.
    — Maura Fox, San Diego Union-Tribune, 19 July 2026
  • Bottoms was outspoken after the FBI raided a Fulton County election hub earlier this year in an area part of the greater Atlanta metro area.
    — Irene Wright, USA Today, 17 July 2026
Definition of raid
Verb
  • Meanwhile, the palace has been besieged by loutish suitors, led by the scheming Antinous (Robert Pattinson), all of them vying for the queen’s hand in remarriage and mooching off the absent king’s food and wine.
    — Justin Chang, New Yorker, 17 July 2026
  • There was a dinner for 500 after the fashion show on Tuesday night, and he was besieged by guests wanting to talk to him, talk his picture, take selfies, and just bask in his glory.
    — Dylan Jones, Robb Report, 16 July 2026
Definition of besiege
Verb
  • Militant members and their fellow travelers booed, and a former Labour chairman stormed off the stage in anger.
    — James Kirchick, The Atlantic, 21 July 2026
  • Many attacks have been carried out by angry mobs storming treatment centers.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 18 July 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 25 Jul. 2026.

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