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
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.
Advertisement The Defense Department formally pulled the pier from the Gaza shore on June 28 and declared an end in mid-July to the mission to bring aid into the territory besieged by the war between Israel and Hamas. Los Angeles Times, 5 Nov. 2024 Policy Timelines Last but not least the reality is that governmental policy and legislation works on a timeline and cycle that is measured in years, something that the technology industry continues to find out via the multiple hearings and lawsuits that have besieged the sector since 2015. Sean Stein Smith, Forbes, 3 Nov. 2024 The story follows your run-of-the-mill suburbanite family besieged by angry spirits emerging from their television. Katie Rife, EW.com, 29 Oct. 2024 The situation is worse in northern Gaza, where Israeli forces have been besieging the Jabalia refugee camp and hunger has been rampant. NBC News, 26 Oct. 2024 See all Example Sentences for besiege 

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 22 Nov. 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

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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