besieges

verb

present tense third-person singular of besiege
1
as in encircles
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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2
as in persecutes
to cause persistent suffering to a family besieged by worries about the faltering economy

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in begs
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

Recent Examples of Synonyms for besieges
  1. encircles
  2. persecutes
  3. begs
  4. attacks
  5. plagues
  6. petitions
  7. blockades
  8. afflicts
Verb
  • The plan could affect not only the path that encircles the park, used by large numbers of residents, but also the golf course’s historic grove of Japanese cherry trees.
    — Sophia Solano, Washington Post, 20 Oct. 2026
  • In May, the Georgia Department of Transportation closed a major section of the road, which encircles the city of Atlanta and connects much of the greater metro area, sending both intra- and interstate traffic through the city.
    — Irene Wright, USA Today, 25 Aug. 2026
Definition of encircles
Verb
  • China, which jails human rights activists in Hong Kong, persecutes Uyghurs, has killed hundreds of thousands of Tibetans and has committed genocide against the Falun Gong, is on the UN Human Rights Council.
    — Voice of the People, New York Daily News, 18 Feb. 2026
  • In Russia, the civilian repressive apparatus persecutes the military, which leaps at every chance for revenge.
    — Stephen Kotkin, Foreign Affairs, 16 Dec. 2025
Definition of persecutes
Verb
  • Lifelike Cat With a face full of fur and electric-green-colored contacts, this cat costume begs to be seen.
    — Michella Oré, Glamour, 27 Oct. 2026
  • When Sita begs Rama to follow a demon disguised as a beautiful golden deer, Rama draws a magical protective circle around the princess and instructs her to stay within the circle’s borders.
    — Sohini Sarah Pillai, The Conversation, 14 Oct. 2026
Definition of begs
Verb
  • At the same time, in the real world, Lisa wakes up and attacks Thomas and Paladin, using her new, uh, nanobot powers?
    — Tasha Robinson, Vulture, 4 Nov. 2026
  • Psoriatic arthritis is a chronic (long-term) autoimmune condition in which your immune system attacks healthy tissues, causing joint pain, swelling, and stiffness.
    — Health Editorial Team, HEALTH, 3 Nov. 2026
Definition of attacks
Verb
  • The depression that plagues him in winters is nowhere to be found.
    — David Mack, CNN Money, 15 Oct. 2026
  • Walker, who leads the NFL with 360 rushing yards, also is adept at avoiding an issue that plagues many ball carriers and receivers in the NFL.
    — Pete Grathoff, Kansas City Star, 30 Sep. 2026
Definition of plagues
Verb
  • However, if someone petitions the court, a judge could order the HOA into a receivership.
    — Kelly G. Richardson, San Diego Union-Tribune, 21 July 2026
  • The film hands off its plot like a baton, passing from this dissatisfied shopper to a factory owner to her dead daughter-in-law (another ghost) who petitions the government for her civil rights despite being in the body of an appliance.
    — Amy Nicholson, Los Angeles Times, 10 Mar. 2026
Definition of petitions
Verb
  • There's no question that the United States has a credible threat of force, but the blockade really blockades ourselves as well as Iran.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 26 Apr. 2026
  • As the United States military blockades the Strait of Hormuz fuel prices rose above $100 dollars a barrel.
    — Contessa Brewer,Dawn Giel, CNBC, 23 Apr. 2026
Definition of blockades
Verb
  • Today, Alzheimer’s afflicts roughly one in nine Americans over sixty-five and, along with related dementias, has been estimated to cost the economy about three-quarters of a trillion dollars a year.
    — Manvir Singh, New Yorker, 2 Nov. 2026
  • The uncertainty that afflicts others about how to dress for one’s age, one’s job or even the weather doesn’t seem to unsettle this cohort.
    — The Learning Network, New York Times, 28 Oct. 2026
Definition of afflicts
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.

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Cite this Entry

“Besieges.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/besieges. Accessed 7 Nov. 2026.

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