beset
Americanverb (used with object)
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to attack on all sides; assail.
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to trouble greatly or grievously; to afflict with mental or physical suffering; harass: Even as he was being beset with disasters, he triumphed.
The best ideas are often beset by bureaucratic hurdles.
Even as he was being beset with disasters, he triumphed.
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to surround; hem in.
The village was beset on all sides by dense forest.
Our work will be beset with dangers.
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to set or place upon; bestud.
The gold bracelet she found was beset with jewels.
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Nautical. to surround (a vessel) by ice, so that control of the helm is lost.
verb
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(esp of dangers, temptations, or difficulties) to trouble or harass constantly
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to surround or attack from all sides
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archaic to cover with, esp with jewels
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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besetsimple
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besetssimple
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have besetperfect
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has besetperfect
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am besettingprogressive
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are besettingprogressive
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is besettingprogressive
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have been besettingperfect progressive
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has been besettingperfect progressive
Past
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besetsimple
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had besetperfect
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was besettingprogressive
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were besettingprogressive
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had been besettingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of beset
First recorded before 1000; from Middle English besetten, Old English besettan. See be-, set
Explanation
Beset means to attack from all sides — an invading army will beset a castle, or you might find yourself beset by a devastating storm. Beset also has a very different meaning: to decorate or encrust with jewels or other ornamentation. If you are attending a ball, you may choose a gown that is beset with silver sequins, just be careful that you don't end up looking like a giant disco ball.
Vocabulary lists containing beset
Beowulf
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"Still I Rise" by Maya Angelou
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Beowulf vocabulary
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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.
See Examples For:
The monument had long been beset by structural failures and leaks, and Trump has championed the project as part of his bid to beautify the capital city.
From BBC ● Jul. 9, 2026
But the procurement project was beset by repeated delays, that pushed back the frigates expected entry into service.
From Barron's ● Jun. 24, 2026
While the economy remains beset by weak consumer demand, low confidence and anemic investment activity, exports have saved the day so far.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 19, 2026
However, Mayweather is reportedly beset by financial woes as well.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 17, 2026
Slant is beset upon by all the transports of terror at the prospect.
From "The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation, Volume II: The Kingdom on the Waves" by M.T. Anderson
A similar problem besets Georgia's On Replay – a generic club track with a tra-la-la chorus.
From BBC ● May 8, 2026
The accounts of ramming must also be seen through the panic that naturally besets humans when they encounter such enormous animals.
From Seattle Times ● Aug. 28, 2023
The logistical confusion that sometimes besets the narrative, splintering outward even as it barrels toward its grim conclusion, is matched by creeping undercurrents of doubt and anxiety at every turn.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 1, 2021
First, it emphasizes that even the MCU isn't free from the class conflict that besets the real world.
From Salon ● Jul. 13, 2019
Thou knowest the evil influence that besets my brother, and that it hath disaffected a large portion of his nobles as well as of his cities.
From Mercedes of Castile The Voyage to Cathay by Cooper, J. Fenimore
The mood among German consumers continues to darken as the pressures besetting Europe’s largest economy take their toll on sentiment.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 27, 2025
The findings suggest kids have been caught in the crossfire of simultaneous immigration and housing crises besetting the city.
From Seattle Times ● Nov. 1, 2023
He also followed up on prior deals to provide arms and training to regional powers while adroitly sidestepping the deadly frictions currently besetting the Middle East.
From Washington Times ● Oct. 26, 2023
As the small industry grappled to find new technology, it also blamed regulators for besetting it with rules the new companies evaded.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 16, 2022
However, the difficulties besetting our task are so great that we cannot hope for more than tentative and incomplete answers.
From "History of Art, Volume 1" by H.W. Janson
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.
