verb
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to surround (a fortified area, esp a city) with military forces to bring about its surrender
-
to crowd round; hem in
-
to overwhelm, as with requests or queries
Other Word Forms
- besiegement noun
- besieger noun
- besiegingly adverb
Etymology
Origin of besiege
First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English bysegen; be-, siege
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.
Israel scrutinises all aid into besieged Gaza, a tiny coastal territory surrounded by fences and walls on all sides.
From Barron's
The besieged enclave has neither water nor electricity.
Noting that the pamphlet “is working a powerful change in the minds of many men,” George Washington had it read aloud to the troops besieging Boston.
From Salon
A source in the Sudanese army told AFP that "this progress will open up the road between El-Obeid and Dilling" -- a city in South Kordofan state controlled by the army and besieged by the RSF.
From Barron's
After 18 months of besieging el-Fasher, the RSF captured the city - a major victory pushing the army out of its last foothold in the vast Darfur region.
From BBC
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.
