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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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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Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for besieges
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In the center of Washington Park is a lagoon, which once weaved in a crescent shape around a peninsula in a configuration that annoyed boaters, but now encircles a central island called Bynum Island.
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The Chicago Outerbelt, a 210-mile trail that encircles the city, intrigued our copy editor.
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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.
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In Russia, the civilian repressive apparatus persecutes the military, which leaps at every chance for revenge.
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Which begs a larger question, really.
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The family begs for a twilight cruise, but the battery is already tapped out.
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Rabies is a viral disease that attacks the central nervous system and is almost always fatal once symptoms begin, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
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Another device, called a 4-Poster bait station, attacks the ticks that congregate on deer’s heads.
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More bureaucracy — in the form of the new stand-alone Department of Gun Violence Reduction — while well-intentioned, isn’t the panacea to what plagues our city, especially as whoever is appointed head of this new department will enjoy too much independence from the mayor.
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Odd moment plagues fourth quarter As the Knicks held on to their fairly sizable lead, a fan ran onto the court, tried to take a selfie with Wembanyama but was quickly apprehended by security.
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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.
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There's no question that the United States has a credible threat of force, but the blockade really blockades ourselves as well as Iran.
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As the United States military blockades the Strait of Hormuz fuel prices rose above $100 dollars a barrel.
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Measles is a highly contagious, vaccine-preventable disease caused by a virus that primarily and most severely afflicts children.
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Consider osteoarthritis, which afflicts roughly 33 million Americans by gradually wearing down cartilage in the joints.
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Cite this Entry
“Besieges.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/besieges. Accessed 3 Jul. 2026.
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