beset

[ bih-set ]

See synonyms for beset on Thesaurus.com

verb (used with object),be·set, be·set·ting.

to attack on all sides; assail.
to trouble greatly or grievously; to afflict with mental or physical suffering; harass: The best ideas are often beset by bureaucratic hurdles.Even as he was being beset with disasters, he triumphed.

to surround; hem in: The village was beset on all sides by dense forest.Our work will be beset with dangers.
to set or place upon; bestud: The gold bracelet she found was beset with jewels.
Nautical. to surround (a vessel) by ice, so that control of the helm is lost.

Origin of beset

First recorded before 1000; from Middle English besetten, Old English besettan. See be-, set

Other words for beset

1	assault, harass
2	afflict, bedevil, persecute, torment, trouble
3	encircle, enclose, besiege
4	stud, decorate, ornament

See synonyms for beset on Thesaurus.com

Other words from beset

be·set·ment, noun
be·set·ter, noun
pre·be·set, verb (used with object), pre·be·set, pre·be·set·ting.
un·be·set, adjective

Words Nearby beset

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use beset in a sentence

I suspect that the new Tarzan will run into the same problems that beset the recent Lone Ranger remake.
Can Tarzan of the Apes Survive in a Post-Colonial World? | Ted Gioia | November 23, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
We may be beset by deep political divisions, but the moderate, outward-looking center is large; not a fringe section of society.
Beirut Letter: In Lebanon, Fighting ISIS With Culture and Satire | Kim Ghattas | September 22, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
Stringer depicts a country that is beset by complications of both past imperialism and current globalism.
This Week’s Hot Reads: Feb. 24, 2014 | Thomas Flynn | February 24, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
India, for example, is still very poor and beset by many ethnic and religious divides, yet has a thriving democracy.
Why Democracy Will Struggle In The Arab World In 2014 | Balint Szlanko | January 12, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
The downstairs portion of the Democratic base is increasingly beset by debt and disillusion.
The GOP’s Backdoor Impeachment Scheme | Lloyd Green | October 14, 2013 | THE DAILY BEAST

He was beset by his sensitive dislike to mix in other people's affairs, but almost angrily he overcame it.
Bella Donna | Robert Hichens
But while everything seemed so favourable the crafty Gascon from the first foresaw the dangers which beset his path.
Napoleon's Marshals | R. P. Dunn-Pattison
But children came and died too quickly for her health and fragile beauty, and the storms of life beset her.
Ancestors | Gertrude Atherton
An armed force beset the palace of the Tuilleries, and demanded the arrest of the Brissotine party.
The Every Day Book of History and Chronology | Joel Munsell
He was extremely anxious to make no mistakes at the outset of his new career, beset with difficulties enough.
Ancestors | Gertrude Atherton

British Dictionary definitions for beset

beset

/ (bɪˈsɛt) /

verb-sets, -setting or -set (tr)

(esp of dangers, temptations, or difficulties) to trouble or harass constantly
to surround or attack from all sides

archaic to cover with, esp with jewels

Derived forms of beset

besetter, noun

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Browse