BESIEGE Synonyms: 154 Similar and Opposite Words

besiege

verb

bi-ˈsēj

Definition of besiege

as in to attack

to surround (as a fortified place) with armed forces for the purpose of capturing or preventing commerce and communication armies besieged the city for six months before it finally surrendered

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in to plague

to cause persistent suffering to a family besieged by worries about the faltering economy

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in to beg

to make a request to (someone) in an earnest or urgent manner bereaved parents continued to besiege the president with pleas to end the war

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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 besiege 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 Saunders is one of the most senior Australian Catholics to be convicted in a global clergy abuse scandal that has besieged the Vatican for years. — ABC News, 13 Aug. 2026 The Pratts are in serious crisis, besieged by bullies and bad neighbors outside of their house and foundation-crumbling dysfunction inside it. — David Fear, Rolling Stone, 12 Aug. 2026 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 See All Example Sentences for besiege

Recent Examples of Synonyms for besiege

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

The research team identified opportunities to improve the atomic layer etching (ALE) approach, which offers significant advantages over the conventional methods but was plagued by difficulties for practical use.

— Ameya Paleja, Interesting Engineering, 27 Aug. 2026
Troubles from the start The groundbreaking attraction, which Six Flags has sunk millions of dollars into, was plagued with problems from the outset.

— Blake Ellis, CNN Money, 27 Aug. 2026

Definition of plague

Verb

The title was the name of a red-haired, green-eyed young fan Parton met signing autographs, and the story of a woman begging a rival to leave her man alone.

— RJ Smith, Los Angeles Times, 25 Aug. 2026
Finally, after years of begging from golf fans, the PGA Tour is introducing match play to its postseason beginning in 2028.

— Mark Harris OutKick, FOXNews.com, 25 Aug. 2026

Definition of beg

Verb

During the 19th century, President Abraham Lincoln used the Prize Act of 1812 to blockade Confederate seaports—an act that was contested and eventually upheld by the Supreme Court.

— Sasha Rogelberg, Fortune, 28 Aug. 2026
After tit-for-tat strikes in early July following the arrival of an Iranian plane in the Yemeni capital, Sanaa, the Houthis attacked Saudi vessels and attempted to blockade Saudi Arabia's Red Sea ports.

— August 20, CBS News, 20 Aug. 2026

Definition of blockade

Verb

After serving their prison sentences, SVPs undergo treatment at state hospitals but may also petition courts to continue treatment in outpatient locations.

— Caleb Lunetta, San Diego Union-Tribune, 25 Aug. 2026
California’s Proposition 47 reduced certain drug convictions from felonies to misdemeanors and allowed inmates and formerly incarcerated people to petition the court for resentencing.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 24 Aug. 2026

Definition of petition

Verb

García Luna pledged to restore independence and public confidence in the Public Ministry and began reviewing cases involving officials, journalists, and others who alleged that they had been politically persecuted under the previous administration.

— Encyclopedia Britannica, Encyclopedia Britannica, 27 Aug. 2026
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