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beleaguer

[ bih-lee-ger ]
/ bɪˈli gər /
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verb (used with object)

to surround with military forces.
to surround or beset, as with troubles.

RELATED WORDS

beset, bedevil, plague, annoy, gnaw, nag, tease, bother, pester, vex, blockade, persecute, storm, harry, worry, badger, siege

Nearby words

  1. belaúnde terry, fernando,
  2. belch,
  3. beld,
  4. beldam,
  5. beldame,
  6. beleaguered,
  7. beleave,
  8. belection,
  9. belemnite,
  10. belemnoid

Origin of beleaguer

First recorded in 1580–90; be- + leaguer1
Related formsbe·lea·guer·er, noun
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for beleaguer

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
Word Origin and History for beleaguer

beleaguer

v.

1580s, from Dutch or Low German belegeren "to besiege," from be- "around" (see be-) + legeren "to camp," from leger "bed, camp, army, lair," from Proto-Germanic *leg-raz-, from PIE *legh-to- "lie" (see lie (v.2)). A word from the Flemish Wars (cf. Swedish belägra, Dutch belegeren "besiege," German Belagerung "siege"). Spelling influenced by league. Related: Beleaguered; beleaguering.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper