verb
-
to trouble persistently; harass
-
to lay siege to
Other Word Forms
- beleaguerer noun
Etymology
Origin of beleaguer
Explanation
Beleaguer means to pester or badger with persistence. A babysitter might find annoying the children who beleaguer her with requests for candy, cookies, games, and piggyback rides all at the same time. Beleaguer originally meant to lay siege to, and originates from a 16th century Dutch term which meant to camp all around. It was not until later that beleaguer came to mean harass or bother in a determined way. Remember that there is a league in the middle of be-league-r and the spelling will be easy.
Vocabulary lists containing beleaguer
The Vocabulary.com Top 1000
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"What, of This Goldfish, Would You Wish?" Vocabulary from the short story
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"The Book Thief" by Markus Zusak, Part Four
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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.
“To beleaguer the obvious, it’s been cool and wet in Washington,” Washington State Climatologist Nick Bond said Wednesday during a briefing on drought conditions in the Pacific Northwest.
From Seattle Times • May 19, 2022
At the same time, a limited supply of labor continues to beleaguer employers, with the number of Americans on payrolls still well below pre-pandemic levels.
From Seattle Times • Jul. 2, 2021
West appears deeply, singularly fascinated by his, however it’s presently manifesting; fame seems to neither afflict nor beleaguer his peers in quite the same way.
From The New Yorker • Aug. 29, 2016
Unforthcoming on 2002, Mr Modi is happy to talk about how he has successfully tackled economic problems in Gujarat that beleaguer other states.
From Economist • Dec. 12, 2013
Ishmael would find later, long after the trial, that their darkness would beleaguer his memory of these days.
From "Snow Falling on Cedars: A Novel" by David Guterson
Definitions 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.
