beleaguer

[bih-lee-ger]

verb (used with object)

1. to surround with military forces.

2. to surround or beset, as with troubles.

   Synonyms: hector, plague, annoy, vex, vex, bother, badger, pester, harass

beleaguer

/ bɪˈliːɡə /

verb

1. to trouble persistently; harass

2. to lay siege to

Other Word Forms

• beleaguerer noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of beleaguer¹

First recorded in 1580–90; be- + leaguer ¹

Word History and Origins

Origin of beleaguer¹

C16: from _be- + _leaguer ¹

Example Sentences

But in a shock move, a beleaguered Brown, suffering low polling ratings, appeared to bury the hatchet and appointed his former friend as business secretary, making him a peer at the same time.

From BBC

But apart from Wyle’s heroic, beleaguered doctor in “The Pitt,” you could make the case that Cooper’s turn as Jamie, a 13-year-old accused of murdering a classmate, is the year’s best nominated work.

From Los Angeles Times

That mainstream interest is showing up in the response to the new “Demon Slayer” movie around the world, providing a needed surprise hit to beleaguered movie theater operators after a bruising summer.

From Los Angeles Times

However, GPs now believe a decade of underfunding, increasing patient complexity, rising bureaucracy and recruitment problems have led to a beleaguered workforce.

From BBC

During L.A.’s recent heat wave, when temperatures regularly surpassed 90 degrees, a woman selling rose bouquets out of buckets at Pershing Square looked beleaguered while standing in the paltry shade of a tree.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• annoy 
• bedevil 
• beset 
• plague