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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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
Made in Italy is besieged, and action must be taken to safeguard the local supply chain and its reputation.
—
Martino Carrera, Footwear News, 24 Oct. 2025
Since its municipal establishment in 2018, Roku City has been a metropolis intermittently besieged by mythical creatures including a kraken, a big robot, and a Godzilla-like kaiju.
—Rebecca Alter, Vulture, 14 Oct. 2025
She is besieged on all sides—by her in-laws, by social workers, by untreated psychosis—and yet in possession of a terrible freedom.
—Jessica Winter, New Yorker, 8 Oct. 2025
And in the center of the city, where the overflowing rivers are predicted to merge, Thomas Orthopedic Hospital could be besieged by more than 10 feet of water on three sides.
—CNN Money, 5 Oct. 2025
If your flower beds were besieged with pests or fungal diseases, the fallen leaf litter and stems from those plants should not be left in the garden.
—Mary Marlowe Leverette, Southern Living, 4 Oct. 2025
Ruling an isolated, ruined, and besieged Gaza Strip will not get Hamas closer to this objective—but building up a strong political presence in the West Bank could, and accepting the latest proposal could free Hamas to do this.
—Hussein Ibish, The Atlantic, 1 Oct. 2025
Landslide in western Sudan kills at least 1,000 A landslide in western Sudan killed at least 1,000 people, intensifying hardship in a country besieged by years of civil war.
—Tasneem Nashrulla, semafor.com, 4 Sep. 2025
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
Martino Carrera, Footwear News, 24 Oct. 2025
Since its municipal establishment in 2018, Roku City has been a metropolis intermittently besieged by mythical creatures including a kraken, a big robot, and a Godzilla-like kaiju.
—Rebecca Alter, Vulture, 14 Oct. 2025
She is besieged on all sides—by her in-laws, by social workers, by untreated psychosis—and yet in possession of a terrible freedom.
—Jessica Winter, New Yorker, 8 Oct. 2025
And in the center of the city, where the overflowing rivers are predicted to merge, Thomas Orthopedic Hospital could be besieged by more than 10 feet of water on three sides.
—CNN Money, 5 Oct. 2025
If your flower beds were besieged with pests or fungal diseases, the fallen leaf litter and stems from those plants should not be left in the garden.
—Mary Marlowe Leverette, Southern Living, 4 Oct. 2025
Ruling an isolated, ruined, and besieged Gaza Strip will not get Hamas closer to this objective—but building up a strong political presence in the West Bank could, and accepting the latest proposal could free Hamas to do this.
—Hussein Ibish, The Atlantic, 1 Oct. 2025
Landslide in western Sudan kills at least 1,000 A landslide in western Sudan killed at least 1,000 people, intensifying hardship in a country besieged by years of civil war.
—Tasneem Nashrulla, semafor.com, 4 Sep. 2025
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for besieged
Verb
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Israel has blockaded the water around Gaza, preventing boats and ships from delivering humanitarian aid.—
Eric Adler,
Kansas City Star,
9 Oct. 2025
-
As the attack unfolded, congregants blockaded themselves inside the synagogue, keeping Al-Shamie outside.—
Morgan Winsor,
ABC News,
3 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Advertisement The investigation and its many turns The investigation was plagued by mistakes, leaks, and false leads.—
Isadora Wandermurem,
Time,
22 Oct. 2025
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If a fungal infection plagued your shrubs, rake up diseased leaves and dispose of them before adding a layer of mulch.—
Brandee Gruener,
Southern Living,
21 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Ahead of that vote, Marsh had petitioned the Executive Board to support his appeal to the ZBA.—
Gayla Cawley,
Boston Herald,
26 Oct. 2025
-
Karen Scham — the resident who originally petitioned to remove the books — was also in attendance, urging Lewin-Lane’s dismissal.—
Adrienne Davis,
jsonline.com,
24 Oct. 2025
Verb
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On August 22, she was attacked while on a Charlotte light train in what police described as an unprovoked stabbing.—
Marni Rose McFall,
MSNBC Newsweek,
26 Oct. 2025
-
Ruben Amorim’s men attacked with precision and purpose at Old Trafford.—
Carl Anka,
New York Times,
26 Oct. 2025
Verb
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The Lakers were down LeBron James, afflicted by nerve pain.—
Joseph Dycus,
Mercury News,
13 Oct. 2025
-
The narrative takes a darker turn when a family member becomes supernaturally afflicted after witnessing a death, prompting a desperate search for spiritual intervention.—
Naman Ramachandran,
Variety,
9 Oct. 2025
Verb
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By winter, as conditions worsened, Wasefi’s family and friends begged him to leave.—
Vidushi Mishti Sharma,
Rolling Stone,
24 Oct. 2025
-
Finch begged for Conley to be more aggressive at various points last season, but the point guard never grabbed the reins with aggression.—
Jace Frederick,
Twin Cities,
21 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Original concepts include mazes set in a demonic version of the Old West, a life-sized toybox full of twisted dolls and a frozen Northern town beleaguered by monsters.—
Julie Tremaine,
Forbes.com,
28 Aug. 2025
Verb
-
In Nazi Germany, transgender people were persecuted, barred from public life.—
Jackson Thompson,
FOXNews.com,
23 Oct. 2025
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This Committee was initially created during the McCarthy Era, a dark time when the federal government repressed and persecuted American citizens for their political beliefs.—
Greg Evans,
Deadline,
1 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Besieged.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/besieged. Accessed 29 Oct. 2025.
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