besiege

verb

be·​siege bi-ˈsēj How to pronounce besiege (audio)
bē-
besieged; besieging

transitive verb

1
military : to surround with armed forces
The army had besieged the castle.
2
a
: to press with requests : importune
besieging the royal ministers with petitions …T. B. Costain
besieged by the media
b
: to cause worry or distress to : beset
doubts besieged him
besieger noun

Examples of besiege in a Sentence

Customers have besieged the company with questions.
Recent Examples on the Web Since late 2018, a series of setbacks has besieged the company, including two fatal crashes that grounded its best-selling jet and an incident where a door plug detached in mid-air, leaving a gaping hole in a jet’s side. Chris Isidore, CNN, 17 Mar. 2024 For plenty of Americans, the public-relations meltdown that besieged the British royal family this week barely registers as a scandal. Sydney Lake, Fortune, 16 Mar. 2024 Cannibal gangs are besieging the national palace in Port-au-Prince. Miles Klee, Rolling Stone, 15 Mar. 2024 High Costs and Layoffs Following the Great Resignation, the U.S. labor market has been besieged by an unrelenting torrent of layoff announcements. Jack Kelly, Forbes, 2 Mar. 2024 But this year’s rollout has been besieged by delays, technical glitches and errors. Danielle Douglas-Gabriel, Washington Post, 1 Mar. 2024 People at the hospital were burying bodies in shallow graves on its premises, with no staff able to record the deaths as the Israeli raid was closing in and the hospital was besieged. Aya Batrawy, NPR, 29 Feb. 2024 Agonizing decisions await Kyiv: whether to lower mobilization age from 27; which next besieged city to withdraw from; when, if ever, to consider negotiations with the Kremlin; who to give the dwindling ammunitions to. Nick Paton Walsh, CNN, 23 Feb. 2024 Nasser Hospital, southern Gaza’s main medical facility, has been besieged by Israel for weeks. NBC News, 19 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'besiege.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of besiege was in the 13th century

Dictionary Entries Near besiege

Cite this Entry

“Besiege.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/besiege. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

besiege

verb
be·​siege bi-ˈsēj How to pronounce besiege (audio)
besieged; besieging
1
: to surround with armed forces for the purpose of capturing
2
: to trouble with requests
3
: to cause worry or distress to
doubts besieged him
besieger noun

More from Merriam-Webster on besiege

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