besets

verb

present tense third-person singular of beset
1
as in plagues
to cause persistent suffering to he's been beset by a lack of self-confidence virtually his entire life

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in attacks
to take sudden, violent action against the unsuspecting tourists were suddenly beset by robbers

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for besets
  1. plagues
  2. attacks
  3. afflicts
  4. assaults
  5. persecutes
  6. raids
  7. storms
  8. strikes
Verb
  • Walker, who leads the NFL with 360 rushing yards, also is adept at avoiding an issue that plagues many ball carriers and receivers in the NFL.
    — Pete Grathoff, Kansas City Star, 30 Sep. 2026
  • What plagues America right now, in Cox’s telling, is not bad manners, or even political division, but contempt—the conviction that those who don’t share our opinions or values are beneath us and unworthy of good-faith engagement.
    — McKay Coppins, The Atlantic, 27 Aug. 2026
Definition of plagues
Verb
  • Multiple sclerosis is an autoimmune disorder that attacks healthy cells in the central nervous system.
    — Mark Morales, CNN Money, 13 Oct. 2026
  • Why Autoimmune Diseases Are Easy to Miss Autoimmune diseases happen when the immune system attacks the body’s own tissues.
    — Emily Kay Votruba, EverydayHealth.com, 13 Oct. 2026
Definition of attacks
Verb
  • The painful condition, which causes tissue similar to the lining of the uterus to grow on other parts of the body, afflicts 1 in 10 women worldwide.
    — Laura Ungar, Los Angeles Times, 8 Sep. 2026
  • Unraveling Medical Mysteries Patients with undiagnosed conditions suffer not only from their symptoms but also from the uncertainly of not knowing what afflicts them.
    — The New York Review of Books, The New York Review of Books, 5 Sep. 2026
Definition of afflicts
Verb
  • Anyone who assaults law enforcement will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.
    — Christina Fan, CBS News, 7 June 2026
  • Any passenger who assaults, threatens, intimidates or interferes with airline crew members can lead to penalties of up to $43,658 per violation, according to the FAA.
    — Cindy Von Quednow, CNN Money, 3 May 2026
Definition of assaults
Verb
  • China, which jails human rights activists in Hong Kong, persecutes Uyghurs, has killed hundreds of thousands of Tibetans and has committed genocide against the Falun Gong, is on the UN Human Rights Council.
    — Voice of the People, New York Daily News, 18 Feb. 2026
  • In Russia, the civilian repressive apparatus persecutes the military, which leaps at every chance for revenge.
    — Stephen Kotkin, Foreign Affairs, 16 Dec. 2025
Definition of persecutes
Verb
  • In the character's final scene, as the DEA raids her rural compound, Laurie ties a rope around her neck and jumps from the roof of her home.
    — Joey Nolfi, Entertainment Weekly, 1 June 2026
  • In the meantime, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) finally raids Laurie's property, thanks to the intel Rue had been giving them.
    — Kelly Lawler, USA Today, 1 June 2026
Definition of raids
Verb
  • Saturday, the system sent a long band of powerful thunder storms up the center of Georgia.
    — Bill Chappell, NPR, 10 Oct. 2026
  • So the group storms an elite gala in Greece hosted by vapid billionaire Ben Bracken (Vincent Cassel).
    — David Faris, TheWeek, 7 Oct. 2026
Definition of storms
Verb
  • The Saturday attack was part of a string of Houthi strikes on airports across the kingdom this past week.
    — Carolyn Hax, Washington Post, 11 Oct. 2026
  • Her freakish smile strikes a sharp contrast with Ursula’s more distracted gaze.
    — Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 9 Oct. 2026
Definition of strikes
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.

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Cite this Entry

“Besets.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/besets. Accessed 15 Oct. 2026.

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