besieged

American  

[bih-seejd] / bɪˈsidʒd /

adjective

1. (of a fortified place) under siege; surrounded by enemy forces and cut off from help or supplies.

   The security forces downplayed the situation, claiming that local authorities were still in full control of the besieged city.

2. surrounded by crowds.

   He was charged with inciting to "mass disturbance" the more than 1,000 people who congregated close to the besieged police station.

3. assailed or inundated with requests or demands.

   Apart from the hero, every man in this movie is a rustic bigot, and every woman a besieged housewife.

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verb

1. the simple past tense and past participle of besiege.

Other Word Forms

• unbesieged adjective

Etymology

Origin of besieged

First recorded in 1425–75; besiege ( def. ) + -ed ² ( def. ) for the adjective senses; besiege ( def. ) + -ed ¹ ( def. ) for the verb sense

Example Sentences

So-called jamming has been commonplace along the Russia-Ukraine border over recent years, and now the Strait of Hormuz, through which 20% of the world’s oil is transported, is besieged by such electronic attacks.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 18, 2026

Israel scrutinises all aid into besieged Gaza, a tiny coastal territory surrounded by fences and walls on all sides.

From Barron's • Feb. 4, 2026

Abdul Karim Omar, representative of the Kurds' autonomous administration in Damascus, told AFP Aleppo's Kurdish-majority neighbourhoods were "completely besieged".

From Barron's • Jan. 7, 2026

Steven Skybell, magnificent in the role of the besieged patriarch, led a superb cast that brought a new understanding to an old chestnut through the force of Yiddish language and culture.

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 9, 2025

Heat besieged the tiny room, firing the air and inside her skin.

From "The Underground Railroad: A Novel" by Colson Whitehead

Related Words

• assailed
• attacked
• beleaguered
• blockaded
• surrounded