1
as in blockaded
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 plagued
to cause persistent suffering to
a family besieged by worries about the faltering economy
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in petitioned
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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Recent Examples of besieged
The militants at the time besieged it for months before being pushed back.
—
Arkansas Online, 23 Jan. 2026
To watch Herbert’s film is like watching a report on a place that has subsequently been besieged.
—Richard Brody, New Yorker, 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
The Windy City is suddenly besieged by a string of bomb threats, but in the midst of all the false alarms, a real situation emerges in the form of military-grade smoke grenades, which points to a terrorist threat.
—Will Harris, Entertainment Weekly, 7 Jan. 2026
Haiti, the soccer-loving Caribbean nation that has been besieged by gang violence and economic instability, learned on Friday which teams will be in its group for the 2026 World Cup.
—Jacqueline Charles, Miami Herald, 6 Dec. 2025
Pirro pushed back and went on to reiterate the Administration’s support for the deployments, characterizing the city as besieged by violent crime.
—Jon Blistein, Rolling Stone, 27 Nov. 2025
Arkansas Online, 23 Jan. 2026
To watch Herbert’s film is like watching a report on a place that has subsequently been besieged.
—Richard Brody, New Yorker, 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
The Windy City is suddenly besieged by a string of bomb threats, but in the midst of all the false alarms, a real situation emerges in the form of military-grade smoke grenades, which points to a terrorist threat.
—Will Harris, Entertainment Weekly, 7 Jan. 2026
Haiti, the soccer-loving Caribbean nation that has been besieged by gang violence and economic instability, learned on Friday which teams will be in its group for the 2026 World Cup.
—Jacqueline Charles, Miami Herald, 6 Dec. 2025
Pirro pushed back and went on to reiterate the Administration’s support for the deployments, characterizing the city as besieged by violent crime.
—Jon Blistein, Rolling Stone, 27 Nov. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for besieged
Verb
-
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
-
At first, Israel blockaded Gaza entirely, against the United States’ wishes.—
Andrew P. Miller,
Foreign Affairs,
5 Dec. 2025
Verb
-
And the Rams were unable to overcome a special teams miscue, a theme that plagued them throughout the season.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
26 Jan. 2026
-
Rodman was plagued by injury in 2025, using the first half of the year to recover from a lingering back issue.—
Melanie Anzidei,
New York Times,
25 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
In 2023, Leonard petitioned the court for removal from the registry, and his registration requirement was terminated in October 2024.—
City News Service,
Oc Register,
7 Feb. 2026
-
Appearing at City Hall, the group of equine advocates petitioned the governing bodies for an all-weather arena and permanent stabling.—
From staff reports,
Memphis Commercial Appeal,
5 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
One study in 2020 surveyed 261 herders in Mongolia, another common habitat for snow leopards; while many reported having seen snow leopards, or had their livestock attacked by snow leopards, none reported any attacks on humans.—
Jessie Yeung,
CNN Money,
27 Jan. 2026
-
The upstream piranhas attacked her, and her blood flowing downstream attracted the rest of the piranhas, leaving the creek clear for the herd to cross.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
27 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Embarrassment could have been a factor in the rash decision, but Trump is not a man who appears to be afflicted by that particular emotion, which takes its cue from a certain amount of self-awareness and humility.—
Jessica Gelt,
Los Angeles Times,
6 Feb. 2026
-
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
Verb
-
At first, police arrested the driver, but his wife begged Yolanda not to press charges.—
Sean Williams,
Harpers Magazine,
27 Jan. 2026
-
Liv Morgan begged for a tag, but she was outfoxed by a blind tag from Rhea Ripley.—
Alfred Konuwa,
Forbes.com,
25 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
The agricultural economy, beleaguered by rising productions costs and low commodity prices, is expected to be facing losses for the fourth consecutive year in 2026.—
Stephen Gruber-Miller,
Des Moines Register,
27 Jan. 2026
-
Local authorities were outnumbered and beleaguered.—
Michael Luo,
New Yorker,
27 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Trump has promised to help rescue the country’s persecuted protesters as thousands died.—
David Zimmermann,
The Washington Examiner,
1 Feb. 2026
-
During vetting by the State Department and the Department of Homeland Security, refugees are required to show they were persecuted or face persecution in their home countries and, once in the US, must apply for green cards a year after admission.—
Ray Sanchez,
CNN Money,
30 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Besieged.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/besieged. Accessed 9 Feb. 2026.
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