1
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
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to plague
to cause persistent suffering to
a family besieged by worries about the faltering economy
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
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
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 besiege
The militants at the time besieged it for months before being pushed back.
—
Arkansas Online, 23 Jan. 2026
But the editors and unpaid reviewers who act as guardians of the scientific literature are newly besieged.
—Ross Andersen, The Atlantic, 22 Jan. 2026
But when a mysterious woman named Ruth (Huston) arrives, their plans unravel over the next terrifying twenty-four hours as they are besieged by an ominous cult — and hunted by someone, or something, lurking beneath.
—Alex Ritman, Variety, 16 Jan. 2026
The series follows Leaphorn, Chee and Manuelito of the Navajo Tribal Police solving mysteries on their reservation as it is besieged by increasingly violent crimes in the 1970s.
—Denise Petski, Deadline, 15 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for besiege
Arkansas Online, 23 Jan. 2026
But the editors and unpaid reviewers who act as guardians of the scientific literature are newly besieged.
—Ross Andersen, The Atlantic, 22 Jan. 2026
But when a mysterious woman named Ruth (Huston) arrives, their plans unravel over the next terrifying twenty-four hours as they are besieged by an ominous cult — and hunted by someone, or something, lurking beneath.
—Alex Ritman, Variety, 16 Jan. 2026
The series follows Leaphorn, Chee and Manuelito of the Navajo Tribal Police solving mysteries on their reservation as it is besieged by increasingly violent crimes in the 1970s.
—Denise Petski, Deadline, 15 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for besiege
Recent Examples of Synonyms for besiege
Verb
-
Mobs attacked television vans and set cars ablaze as overrun hospitals struggled to cope with scores of injured people.—
Rhea Mogul,
CNN Money,
6 Feb. 2026
-
The complication is not well understood but appears to be the result of the virus prompting the immune system to attack a certain protein that some brain cells produce.—
Meghan Bartels,
Scientific American,
5 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
The coach said the team took into account the possibility that Canada was also plagued by the same issue.—
Ryan Gaydos,
FOXNews.com,
5 Feb. 2026
-
The grocery industry is a notoriously difficult business plagued by razor-thin margins and a highly perishable inventory.—
Talia Soglin,
Chicago Tribune,
5 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Easton woman Jacquelyn Tremblett has filed a wrongful death lawsuit in Boston federal court against Tesla after her son, Samuel, was trapped in his burning car and dialed 911 begging for help.—
Rick Sobey,
Boston Herald,
6 Feb. 2026
-
In a packed auditorium Wednesday night at the Idaho State Capitol, dozens of people with voices shaking and tears in their eyes begged lawmakers to hear their stories.—
Becca Savransky,
Idaho Statesman,
6 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Trump last year pardoned several people convicted for blockading clinics.—
Josh Funk,
Chicago Tribune,
31 Jan. 2026
-
But Senate leadership had to overcome a temporary setback as senators blockaded the legislation as leverage for their own priorities.—
Ramsey Touchberry,
The Washington Examiner,
30 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Thus, taxpayers are often stuck financing underperforming government programs riddled with waste and outright fraud, as was the case in the recent $30 billion scandal that afflicted the state’s unemployment insurance program.—
Lanhee J. Chen,
Mercury News,
31 Jan. 2026
-
But the overlap with unusually frigid temperatures afflicting Florida's Space Coast and the rest of the country have turned Crew-12's launch opportunities into an intricate dance around Artemis 2.—
Josh Dinner,
Space.com,
30 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Last October, Nike petitioned to revoke or modify the subpoena.—
Michael McCann,
Sportico.com,
4 Feb. 2026
-
Charley had none of these and petitioned the court for an order to be transferred to the girls' team.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
2 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
But Assad assured his aides that regime forces were coming from the south to encircle and defend the capital.—
Robert F. Worth,
The Atlantic,
6 Feb. 2026
-
Its head doesn’t resemble the shape of a skull, like most other humanoids, but instead a cylinder with a flat face encircled by a ring of light.—
Rachyl Jones,
semafor.com,
4 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
The Secret Agent’s primary setting is a house full of misfits and refugees in the northeastern city of Recife, a safe harbor from those persecuted by the country’s military regime, ruled over by the inimitable Dona Sebastiana (Tânia Maria, whose role was written specifically for her).—
Nate Jones,
Vulture,
6 Feb. 2026
-
His previously peaceful world had been shattered when Vilna was occupied by the German army three months before and soon the Germans began to persecute and arrest Jews.—
Dr. Michael Good,
Hartford Courant,
3 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Besiege.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/besiege. Accessed 10 Feb. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
