1
as in plagues
to cause persistent suffering to
he's been beset by a lack of self-confidence virtually his entire life
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
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
Verb
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Every unit can be audited on a public ledger, reducing the opacity that plagues traditional finance.—
Luke Xie,
MSNBC Newsweek,
10 Oct. 2025 -
His voice already had that staticky, far-away quality that plagues international calls, which made Nakia fear he was gone for good.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
16 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Those with the condition do not create enough insulin, the hormone that regulates blood sugar levels—because their immune system attacks the cells in the pancreas that produce it.—
Hannah Millington,
MSNBC Newsweek,
10 Oct. 2025
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If pathogens camouflage themselves successfully, this can lead to a sort of biological friendly fire, in which the body’s immune system attacks its own cells, unable to tell the difference between an invading pathogen and what was already there.—
Katie Hunt,
CNN Money,
6 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Motion sickness afflicts one in three adults and one in two children.—
Eric D. Lawrence,
USA Today,
9 Oct. 2025
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Whether the winner’s curse afflicts buyers in other countries remains an open question.—
Fortune,
Fortune,
8 Oct. 2025
Verb
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The episode sees Marge revisit her nostalgia for a Dawson's Creek-esque '90s teen drama as Lisa raids her mom's closet for vintage threads with the help of fashion-forward classmates Devin (Cole Escola) and Vidalia (Stephanie Hsu).—
Wesley Stenzel,
Entertainment Weekly,
28 Sep. 2025
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Appalachian State’s victory at Michigan in 2007 remains the greatest example of what can happen when a good FCS team walks into your house and raids the fridge, and everything else, but leaves the dog.—
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
12 Sep. 2025
Verb
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After a beat, Eilish is seen yanking herself away and storms off, surrounded by security with an angry scowl on her face.—
Kevin Dolak,
HollywoodReporter,
10 Oct. 2025
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Kyle storms off and vows to find whoever is responsible.—
Jack Dunn,
Variety,
25 Sep. 2025
Verb
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When Rashid wanders into the office, Vahid stops his call — there’s something about this man’s shuffle that strikes him as familiar.—
David Fear,
Rolling Stone,
16 Oct. 2025
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And with new content added weekly, there’s always something fresh to discover the next time inspiration strikes.—
PC Magazine,
PC Magazine,
14 Oct. 2025
Verb
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The Circle was the first in a trio of critical-of-the-Establishment films that also includes 2003’s Crimson Gold (about a mentally ill veteran who robs a jewelry store) and 2006’s Offside (in which a group of young women try to sneak into a soccer match).—
Roxana Hadadi,
Vulture,
14 Oct. 2025
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Diabetic eye disease robs sight from millions.—
Liz Szabo,
Scientific American,
14 Oct. 2025
Verb
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As an example, Vance called out an essay in The Nation that assails Kirk’s views on women, homosexuality, and affirmative action.—
Jonathan Blitzer,
New Yorker,
20 Sep. 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Besets.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/besets. Accessed 17 Oct. 2025.
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