beleaguer

[ bih-lee-ger ]

/ bɪˈli gər /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR beleaguer ON THESAURUS.COM

verb (used with object)

to surround with military forces.

to surround or beset, as with troubles.

Nearby words

belaying pin, belaúnde, belch, beld, beldam, beleaguer, belection, belemnite, belemnoid, belfast, belfort

Origin of beleaguer

First recorded in 1580–90; be- + leaguer¹

SYNONYMS FOR beleaguer

2 harass, pester, badger, bother, vex, annoy, plague, hector.

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR beleaguer ON THESAURUS.COM

Related forms

be·lea·guer·er, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for beleaguer

Before God can make her in truth His own, make her verify her name, He will have to beleaguer and reduce her.
The Book of Isaiah, Volume I (of 2)|George Adam Smith
They, however, continued to beleaguer the place, occasionally showing in great masses.
Our Sailors|W.H.G. Kingston
In his tragedy of Ezelino, after the tyrant's downfall, a captain is sent to beleaguer Treviso, and reduce Ezelino's garrison.
The Memoirs of Count Carlo Gozzi; Volume the first|Count Carlo Gozzi
For Edward took his army to beleaguer Calais, and after blockading it for nearly a year forced it to surrender.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 9, Slice 5|Various

Having pardoned their offences against ourselves, we went back to beleaguer Samarkand.
The Bbur-nma in English|Babur, Emperor of Hindustan

British Dictionary definitions for beleaguer

beleaguer

/ (bɪˈliːɡə) /

verb (tr)

to trouble persistently; harass

to lay siege to

Word Origin for beleaguer

C16: from be- + leaguer 1

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