besiege

[bih-seej]

verb (used with object)

besieged, besieging 

1. to lay siege to.

2. to crowd around; crowd in upon; surround.

   Vacationers besieged the travel office.

3. to assail or ply, as with requests or demands.

   Synonyms: hound, harry, harass, pester, beset

besiege

/ bɪˈsiːdʒ /

verb

1. to surround (a fortified area, esp a city) with military forces to bring about its surrender

2. to crowd round; hem in

3. to overwhelm, as with requests or queries

Other Word Forms

• besiegement noun
• besieger noun
• besiegingly adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of besiege¹

First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English bysegen; be-, siege

Example Sentences

Democrats are besieged by the young and progressive, Republicans experiencing a pushing away from Israel on the right.

Read more on Wall Street Journal

The RSF has been besieging el-Fasher for more than 17 months, leaving hundreds of thousands of people stuck in the city facing starvation.

Read more on BBC

Footage circulating on social media of besieged vehicles on the Dakar-Bamako corridor had been taken out of context, he insisted.

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An extensive earthen wall is being built around the besieged Sudanese city of el-Fasher and is intended to trap people inside, according to research from Yale University.

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Sittwe is now besieged and accessible only by sea and air.

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Related Words

• beleaguer 
• beset 
• blockade 
• encircle 
• trap