besieges

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

2
3

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for besieges
Verb
  • 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
  • The paint color that encircles the wallpaper is important, but Chloe Redmond Warner says the bread should be the least exciting part of this sandwich.
    Kelsey Mulvey, Vogue, 6 Aug. 2026
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
Verb
  • In order to create the experience, the outlet will focus on the famous Red and Blue kitchens, show experiences, and a prominent bar that begs you to join us for a drink.
    Carly Sauvageau, USA Today, 11 Sep. 2026
  • The film ends with Sally and Gary happily in love, which begs a question that’s been gestating for 28 years — doesn’t that slap him with a death sentence?
    Ryan Coleman, Entertainment Weekly, 11 Sep. 2026
Verb
  • Here, Rashford attacks the space behind Guehi, with Cunha positioning himself between the lines to complement the run which should stretch the defensive line, but Martinez doesn’t play the ball to either of them.
    Ahmed Walid, New York Times, 14 Sep. 2026
  • Ronald agrees to a quote that attacks Cooper for allowing violent criminals a second chance, when his son wouldn’t get one.
    Danielle Battaglia, Charlotte Observer, 9 Sep. 2026
Verb
  • What plagues America right now, in Cox’s telling, is not bad manners, or even political division, but contempt—the conviction that those who don’t share our opinions or values are beneath us and unworthy of good-faith engagement.
    McKay Coppins, The Atlantic, 27 Aug. 2026
  • Yet the monopolisation that plagues other top tiers, while not as stark in England, is creeping in.
    Chris Weatherspoon, New York Times, 21 Aug. 2026
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
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
Verb
  • The painful condition, which causes tissue similar to the lining of the uterus to grow on other parts of the body, afflicts 1 in 10 women worldwide.
    Laura Ungar, Los Angeles Times, 8 Sep. 2026
  • Unraveling Medical Mysteries Patients with undiagnosed conditions suffer not only from their symptoms but also from the uncertainly of not knowing what afflicts them.
    The New York Review of Books, The New York Review of Books, 5 Sep. 2026
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 20 Sep. 2026.

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