besieging

present participle of besiege
1
as in blockading
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

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Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of besieging Israel tried to take over Gaza City before in this war, besieging it and launching raids in its streets, but tens of thousands of people remained. Aya Batrawy, NPR, 5 Sep. 2025 And while politicians know that there are costs to besieging an independent central bank – financial markets may react negatively or inflation may flare up – short-term control of a powerful policy tool can prove irresistible. Ana Carolina Garriga, The Conversation, 26 Aug. 2025 Also great for very, very expensively besieging castles. Evan Ackermanerico Guizzo, IEEE Spectrum, 29 Jan. 2016
Recent Examples of Synonyms for besieging
Verb
  • But others describe the reality of the early weeks, where discussion was completely hampered by Israel's insistence on fully blockading aid into Gaza.
    Tom Bowman, NPR, 28 Aug. 2025
Verb
  • Intensely creepy and increasingly unhinged, Alejandro Amenábar’s supernatural chiller owes much to Kidman’s unwavering commitment as a distressed, shotgun-wielding mother trying to protect her children from the hauntings plaguing their remote country house in ’40s Jersey.
    Radhika Seth, Vogue, 8 Oct. 2025
  • Ferrari is unable to address the issue plaguing its cars, while other teams brought in timely upgrades in recent weeks that seemed to have helped enhance performance, such as Mercedes and Red Bull.
    Saajan Jogia, MSNBC Newsweek, 8 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • Shelton Vineyards is one of the oldest wineries in North Carolina and the original owners, a pair of brothers, are credited with petitioning the government for the Yadkin Valley to be formally recognized as an AVA.
    Elliott Harrell, Southern Living, 5 Oct. 2025
  • But, years before Dobbs, a group of activists calling themselves the Respect New Mexico Women campaign began petitioning lawmakers to overturn the ban.
    Rachel Monroe, New Yorker, 3 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • Advertisement The arguments against conversion therapy aren’t about attacking religion or silencing free speech.
    Timothy Schraeder Rodriguez, Time, 8 Oct. 2025
  • Sherrill has pinned the blame on the Republican candidate’s campaign, going so far as to run an ad attacking Ciattarelli over the issue.
    Caroline Vakil, The Hill, 8 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • Jewelry companies have begun raising the alarm over possible price increases afflicting already-weary consumers.
    J.D. Capelouto, semafor.com, 7 Oct. 2025
  • The bears’ behavior is also affected by climate change — for example, the megadrought currently afflicting this region.
    Ganesh Marín, The Dial, 7 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • Or that the hamster her daughter kept begging, begging, begging Linda to get turns out to be a raging, biting terror?
    David Fear, Rolling Stone, 10 Oct. 2025
  • There’s a brilliant scene in which Linda unspools a throwdown rant at O’Brien’s character, begging him to help her but not willing to meet him halfway on the patient’s couch.
    Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 9 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • By the early 19th century, scientists had begun to recognize a belt of volcanic activity encircling the Pacific Ocean.
    Shane Croucher, MSNBC Newsweek, 10 Oct. 2025
  • Haas, an Austrian sage of microtonal music, has created his own sonic forest in the Park Avenue Armory’s Drill Hall, encircling the audience with 50 pianos (each of which has about 230 strings) and a chamber ensemble (Klangforum Wien) that included a contingent of thunderous percussion.
    Justin Davidson, Vulture, 1 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • The former human-rights lawyer entered on a tourist visa and filed for political asylum in October of that year, claiming the governments that succeeded Correa were persecuting him.
    Syra Ortiz Blanes, Miami Herald, 12 Sep. 2025
  • For 25 years, Chavism has co-opted Venezuela's infrastructure for its own enrichment, persecuting journalists and opposition, wrecking the economy, and leaving its citizens in poverty.
    Kristina Foltz, MSNBC Newsweek, 4 Sep. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Besieging.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/besieging. Accessed 13 Oct. 2025.

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