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
That's the capital of North Darfur that was besieged for 500 days.
—
ABC News, 9 Nov. 2025
The San Francisco 49ers continue to be besieged by significant injuries for the second season in a row.
—Robert Marvi, MSNBC Newsweek, 4 Nov. 2025
Meanwhile, Earth itself is suddenly besieged by an alien invasion.
—Declan Gallagher, Entertainment Weekly, 31 Oct. 2025
For more than a year, the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) has besieged El Fasher, its final major barrier to controlling Darfur.
—Nimi Princewill, CNN Money, 28 Oct. 2025
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
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
ABC News, 9 Nov. 2025
The San Francisco 49ers continue to be besieged by significant injuries for the second season in a row.
—Robert Marvi, MSNBC Newsweek, 4 Nov. 2025
Meanwhile, Earth itself is suddenly besieged by an alien invasion.
—Declan Gallagher, Entertainment Weekly, 31 Oct. 2025
For more than a year, the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) has besieged El Fasher, its final major barrier to controlling Darfur.
—Nimi Princewill, CNN Money, 28 Oct. 2025
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
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for besieged
Verb
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To test if this really was a White House operation, Grace and I followed one of the trucks out of the golf course, past the Washington Monument and the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, to a path that normally leads to the White House but was blockaded.—
Nancy Walecki,
The Atlantic,
25 Oct. 2025
-
Israel has blockaded the water around Gaza, preventing boats and ships from delivering humanitarian aid.—
Eric Adler,
Kansas City Star,
9 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
The idea that a leak of any kind must be coming from one of the cast members is something that has plagued many a Housewives season.—
Tom Smyth,
Vulture,
5 Nov. 2025
-
Daylilies are sometimes plagued by pests like thrips, slugs, aphids, Japanese beetles, and spider mites.—
Lauren Landers,
Better Homes & Gardens,
5 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
Meta and TikTok have petitioned to have the suit dropped; the courts have thrown these petitions out.—
Doreen St. Félix,
New Yorker,
8 Nov. 2025
-
In September 2017, Singer petitioned the clerk of Palm Beach County to legally change his name to Hunter Barrett Scott.—
Miami Herald,
Miami Herald,
7 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
Crabtree stopped, turned, attacked the ball and snagged it.—
The Athletic College Football Staff,
New York Times,
9 Nov. 2025
-
Nelson claimed to police that the man attacked her and their son after opening the car door.—
Landon Mion,
FOXNews.com,
9 Nov. 2025
Verb
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Wars and insurrections have afflicted other parts of the Middle East, but Baghdad—a city whose name was once synonymous with suicide bombings and sectarian murder—has been spared.—
Robert F. Worth,
The Atlantic,
28 Oct. 2025
-
The Lakers were down LeBron James, afflicted by nerve pain.—
Joseph Dycus,
Mercury News,
13 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
In one of her earliest letters, Ball begged Arnaz not to give in to temptation while touring with his band.—
Lauryn Overhultz,
FOXNews.com,
9 Nov. 2025
-
The question begged repeating after drafting Allen in 2023, signing Parkinson as a free agent in 2024 and then again this summer after the Rams used their top draft pick on Oregon tight end Terrance Ferguson in the second round in April.—
Adam Grosbard,
Oc Register,
6 Nov. 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
-
No group should ever be persecuted for practicing their religion.—
Lori A Bashian,
FOXNews.com,
5 Nov. 2025
-
The apology came after a sustained campaign by historians and activists who argued that the victims were persecuted for being poor, vulnerable, or simply different.—
James Frater,
CNN Money,
31 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Besieged.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/besieged. Accessed 18 Nov. 2025.
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