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 One of them, Muammar Ibrahim, reported for Al Jazeera’s Arabic network while the city was besieged. — Mat Nashed, Christian Science Monitor, 27 Aug. 2026 Indiana, besieged by injuries after reaching the 2025 NBA Finals, was 1-12 when Mathurin returned. — William Guillory, New York Times, 26 Aug. 2026 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 See All Example Sentences for besiege

Recent Examples of Synonyms for besiege

Verb

Talarico has attacked Ken Paxton over his long list of scandals in several campaign ads.

— David Zimmermann, The Washington Examiner, 13 Oct. 2026
Saudi authorities later said King Fahd International Airport in Dammam also had been attacked, with few details.

— SAMY MAGDY, Arkansas Online, 12 Oct. 2026

Definition of attack

Verb

Speculation and conspiracy theories have plagued Kirk’s death, fueled even by public figures such as Candace Owens, a longtime friend of Kirk, who has been outspoken about her belief that his death was orchestrated in an elaborate plot.

— Mackenzie Chase, The Washington Examiner, 14 Oct. 2026
Hoover’s replacement has thus far been a miss, and the problem that plagued this program in losses in each of the last two years has not changed.

— Mac Engel October 14, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 14 Oct. 2026

Definition of plague

Verb

As pupils blockaded high schools, large crowds waving flags and placards gathered in Marseille, Strasbourg and other cities.

— NICOLAS GARRIGA, Arkansas Online, 7 Oct. 2026
On Tuesday, people spilled into the streets for a nationwide day of protest after over two weeks of student demonstrations that have blockaded schools across the country.

— Ellen Francis, Washington Post, 6 Oct. 2026

Definition of blockade

Verb

Love contains the seeds of its own destruction—the cruelty and self-absorption that turns the afflicted against one another, and themselves.

— Merve Emre, New Yorker, 8 Oct. 2026
Engineers have also taken steps to ensure that a CFT-like thruster anomaly doesn't afflict future Starliner flights.

— Mike Wall, Space.com, 28 Sep. 2026

Definition of afflict

Verb

The BoMar Club has received just under thirty thousand dollars from the opioid settlement, to fix its roof and bolster outreach efforts, and Coleman was petitioning the commission for more money to redo the floor, which sagged under our feet.

— Oliver Whang, New Yorker, 7 Oct. 2026
The group already was living in New Mexico when a Georgia juvenile court issued a pickup order for the boy after his mother petitioned for emergency custody.

— ABC News, ABC News, 7 Oct. 2026

Definition of petition

Verb

In 2010, Cassini watched as a giant storm formed in Saturn's northern hemisphere, then grew to encircle the entire planet through 2011.

— Tariq Malik, Space.com, 15 Oct. 2026
Earlier, the Houthis seized several villages and areas on Taiz's outskirts, paving the way for the rebels to encircle Taiz, Yemen's third-largest city.

— AHMED AL-HAJ, Arkansas Online, 6 Oct. 2026

Definition of encircle

Verb

Those governments provide assurances that people won’t be persecuted or tortured, federal attorneys said.

— Lindsay Whitehurst, Los Angeles Times, 29 Sep. 2026
Also, some immigration cases involve people seeking asylum because they are being persecuted by a foreign government and releasing a person’s full name could be considered sensitive or even dangerous.

— Laura Tillman, Hartford Courant, 11 Sep. 2026