beleaguered
Americanadjective
-
surrounded by military forces; besieged.
The beleaguered city of Limerick, having stood to the last, finally capitulated to the forces of William of Orange.
-
beset, surrounded, or overburdened by troubles.
Restoring our beleaguered oceans to health will require an emphasis on diversification and conservation, and more sensible fishing practices.
verb
Etymology
Origin of beleaguered
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Los Angeles County will conduct future homeless counts and apply for federal grants on behalf of the region’s homeless services providers, taking over two functions from the beleaguered Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 14, 2026
Economists say risks for industrial demand remain to the downside as the war in Iran keeps driving up energy costs, weighing on Germany’s already beleaguered competitiveness on the international market.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 8, 2026
The fighting in Yemen has in recent weeks become the most active front of the wider regional conflict, which for months has seen violence repeatedly shift focus across the beleaguered Middle East.
From Barron's ● Oct. 8, 2026
Their high speed has caused problems for Ukraine's beleaguered air defences.
From BBC ● Oct. 1, 2026
Nothing else was heard from the beleaguered Americans, who had become known to the world as the Lost Battalion.
From "The War to End All Wars: World War I" by Russell Freedman
Random Word
Spin the wheel and learn a new word!
Get a wordDefinitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
