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
Destruction in Mariupol At the start of the war, Russian forces besieged Mariupol before the port city fell in May 2022.
—
Yuras Karmanau, Los Angeles Times, 20 Feb. 2026
The Adams administration was besieged with corruption at every level—the Blackness of the perpetrators was of no solace.
—Literary Hub, 5 Feb. 2026
Meanwhile, Don Lemon also enjoyed a standing ovation and was besieged by people all night to express their gratitude and support after he was arrested and charged for an anti-ICE protest just two days before.
—Rob Ledonne, Rolling Stone, 1 Feb. 2026
The President demoted Greg Bovino, the commanding agent in charge of the roving patrols that have besieged Los Angeles, Chicago, Charlotte, and Minneapolis.
—Jonathan Blitzer, New Yorker, 1 Feb. 2026
Coach Kyle Shanahan’s ninth season, besieged by injuries to star players, ended with a wild-card win at defending champion Philadelphia before a 41-6 suffocation in Seattle.
—Cam Inman, Mercury News, 1 Feb. 2026
The militants at the time besieged it for months before being pushed back.
—Arkansas Online, 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
Yuras Karmanau, Los Angeles Times, 20 Feb. 2026
The Adams administration was besieged with corruption at every level—the Blackness of the perpetrators was of no solace.
—Literary Hub, 5 Feb. 2026
Meanwhile, Don Lemon also enjoyed a standing ovation and was besieged by people all night to express their gratitude and support after he was arrested and charged for an anti-ICE protest just two days before.
—Rob Ledonne, Rolling Stone, 1 Feb. 2026
The President demoted Greg Bovino, the commanding agent in charge of the roving patrols that have besieged Los Angeles, Chicago, Charlotte, and Minneapolis.
—Jonathan Blitzer, New Yorker, 1 Feb. 2026
Coach Kyle Shanahan’s ninth season, besieged by injuries to star players, ended with a wild-card win at defending champion Philadelphia before a 41-6 suffocation in Seattle.
—Cam Inman, Mercury News, 1 Feb. 2026
The militants at the time besieged it for months before being pushed back.
—Arkansas Online, 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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for besieged
Verb
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At his orders, cartel henchmen began setting fire to vehicles, gas stations and government buildings and blockaded major highways.—
Kathryn Palmer,
USA Today,
24 Feb. 2026
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Flights into some Jalisco airports were grounded and cartel gunmen blockaded highways by setting fire to vehicles in 20 states, according to Mexican authorities.—
Senior Editor,
Los Angeles Times,
23 Feb. 2026
Verb
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The violence captured on cellphone videos and shared around the globe – buses burning, gas stations attacked, military helicopters flying overhead – wasn’t just happening in remote rural towns long plagued by drug violence.—
Mary Beth Sheridan,
CNN Money,
24 Feb. 2026
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But controversial government efforts to redress inequalities have been plagued by corruption and cronyism.—
Michael H Gavshon,
CBS News,
23 Feb. 2026
Verb
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They were released earlier this month after their lawyers petitioned the court.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
1 Mar. 2026
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In 1951, when the actress Gale Sondergaard petitioned SAG to support her intention to defy HUAC, the guild rebuffed her.—
Thomas Doherty,
HollywoodReporter,
28 Feb. 2026
Verb
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The ministry said settlers vandalized or attacked 45 mosques in the West Bank last year.—
AREF TUFAHA,
Arkansas Online,
24 Feb. 2026
-
The violence captured on cellphone videos and shared around the globe – buses burning, gas stations attacked, military helicopters flying overhead – wasn’t just happening in remote rural towns long plagued by drug violence.—
Mary Beth Sheridan,
CNN Money,
24 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Those who aren’t afflicted by the syndrome might think dark thoughts, but they are kept buttoned up.—
Baz Bamigboye,
Deadline,
23 Feb. 2026
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Costco's popular rotisserie chicken is at the center of another lawsuit, this one claiming that a chicken processing plant in Nebraska is afflicted by salmonella contamination, possibly affecting hundreds of millions of the birds sold through the warehouses.—
Cheryl V. Jackson,
Louisville Courier Journal,
20 Feb. 2026
Verb
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In a TikTok on Wednesday, the singer-songwriter begged Wikipedia users to stop changing the photo on her page.—
Kory Grow,
Rolling Stone,
19 Feb. 2026
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Some even begged him to reconsider.—
Amaris Encinas,
USA Today,
19 Feb. 2026
Verb
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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
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Local authorities were outnumbered and beleaguered.—
Michael Luo,
New Yorker,
27 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Russia has destroyed more than 600 churches, persecuted millions of Ukrainian Christians under occupation, and abducted more than 19,000 children in an effort to break Ukraine’s spirit.—
Efrat Lachter,
FOXNews.com,
24 Feb. 2026
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The result is that, despite existing household pains owing to more expensive fuel, a resurgent kidnapping crisis that exposes deep security vulnerabilities, and external pressure from a US government that claims Christians are persecuted in Nigeria, Tinubu has expanded his base and looks strong.—
Alexander Onukwue,
semafor.com,
16 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Besieged.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/besieged. Accessed 2 Mar. 2026.
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