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
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to plague
to cause persistent suffering to
a family besieged by worries about the faltering economy
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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
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of besiege
Validated Insights To even the most casual observer, these must feel like belligerent times in higher education – surrounded by fires, besieged, and under crushing market pressures all at once.
—
Derek Newton, Forbes.com, 21 Aug. 2025
Trump and his team described the U.S. capital as besieged by chaos, and eager to be overrun by law enforcement.
—Philip Elliott, Time, 11 Aug. 2025
But as Brentford besieged the visitors’ goal, they were caught on the counter as Leif Davis delivered a quality cross for Delap to steer home.
—Reuters, 26 Oct. 2024
Also great for very, very expensively besieging castles.
—Evan Ackermanerico Guizzo, IEEE Spectrum, 29 Jan. 2016
See All Example Sentences for besiege
Derek Newton, Forbes.com, 21 Aug. 2025
Trump and his team described the U.S. capital as besieged by chaos, and eager to be overrun by law enforcement.
—Philip Elliott, Time, 11 Aug. 2025
But as Brentford besieged the visitors’ goal, they were caught on the counter as Leif Davis delivered a quality cross for Delap to steer home.
—Reuters, 26 Oct. 2024
Also great for very, very expensively besieging castles.
—Evan Ackermanerico Guizzo, IEEE Spectrum, 29 Jan. 2016
See All Example Sentences for besiege
Recent Examples of Synonyms for besiege
Verb
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Her ex and his friends attacked him with a baseball bat and tried to shove him in a washing machine at one of his dad’s laundromats.—
Sara Holdren,
Vulture,
26 Sep. 2025
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As the first crews began attacking the fire from inside the building, other crews were called in to make sure no one was inside.—
Lillie Davidson,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
25 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Pearsall appeared to have reaggravated his knee injury that was plaguing him all week, and he was pulled from the game.—
James Brizuela,
MSNBC Newsweek,
29 Sep. 2025
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The key race heats up as instances of violence continue to plague the Big Apple.—
Julia Bonavita,
FOXNews.com,
29 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Hours earlier, his team was begging us & the Adams campaign to join their publicity stunt lawsuit against @ABC7.—
Ross O'Keefe,
The Washington Examiner,
25 Sep. 2025
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Now there’s a story begging for its own miniseries, and a reminder that the stakes are pretty high.—
Keith Phipps,
Vulture,
25 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Moscow’s Black Sea Fleet blockaded Ukrainian ports, occupied Snake Island, and threatened Odessa, the country’s main coastal city.—
ANDRIY ZAGORODNYUK,
Foreign Affairs,
23 Sep. 2025
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The education ministry said around 100 schools were disrupted and 27 fully blockaded.—
Saskya Vandoorne,
CNN Money,
10 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Subsequent names didn't stick either, despite cases of this unusual form of diabetes continuing to surface, especially in areas afflicted with malnutrition.—
Jonathan Lambert,
NPR,
29 Sep. 2025
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Health advocates fear this could lead to higher rates of illness among children, which could worsen the health care disparities that already afflict the Black community.—
Nicquel Terry Ellis,
CNN Money,
14 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Last week, a group of Kirk supporters petitioned Starbucks to honor him by adding his signature tea order to menus nationwide.—
Andrea Margolis,
FOXNews.com,
27 Sep. 2025
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With six women in upstate New York who, in 1846, two years before Seneca Falls…petitioned their state constitutional convention for the right to vote.—
Liz Tracey,
JSTOR Daily,
26 Sep. 2025
Verb
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When the temperature begins to cool and the leaves start to shift, hop in your car and take on the 84-mile Enchanted Circle Scenic Byway, which encircles New Mexico's highest peak and delivers a stunning array of fall foliage.—
Evie Carrick,
Travel + Leisure,
26 Sep. 2025
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As of Thursday noon, the fire crew successfully encircled the entire perimeter of the fire in control lines.—
CA WILDFIRE BOT,
Sacbee.com,
25 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Love for our enemies and love for those who persecute us.—
Fatma Tanis,
NPR,
21 Sep. 2025
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Leatherface attacks, but the real villains turn out to be the townsfolk who persecuted the Sawyers after the original massacre.—
Declan Gallagher,
Entertainment Weekly,
21 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Besiege.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/besiege. Accessed 2 Oct. 2025.
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