besieged

[ bih-seejd ]

/ bɪˈsidʒd /

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adjective

(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.

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.

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.

verb

the simple past tense and past participle of besiege.

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CAN YOU ANSWER THESE COMMON GRAMMAR DEBATES?

There are grammar debates that never die; and the ones highlighted in the questions in this quiz are sure to rile everyone up once again. Do you know how to answer the questions that cause some of the greatest grammar debates?

Question 1 of 7

Which sentence is correct?

His boss, whom he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

His boss, who he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

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Origin of besieged

besiege + -ed² for the adjective senses; besiege + -ed¹ for the verb sense

OTHER WORDS FROM besieged

un·be·sieged, adjective

Words nearby besieged

beside, beside oneself, besides, beside the point, besiege, besieged, Beskids, Beslan, slated for, be, beslobber, besmear

How to use besieged in a sentence

President Grant called in the military to defend the US Capitol, but it was not ultimately besieged.
Are we entering a new era of political violence?|Sean Illing|January 7, 2021|Vox
Travelers returning from virus-besieged cruise ships were escalating demands for rapid test results in Atlanta.
The CDC’s failed race against covid-19: A threat underestimated and a test overcomplicated|David Willman|December 26, 2020|Washington Post
For a nation ravaged by the pandemic, this week marks a pivotal moment — the final push by federal regulators to clear the first experimental coronavirus vaccine for a besieged populace.
Countdown to America’s first coronavirus vaccine: What to watch this critical week|Laurie McGinley|December 10, 2020|Washington Post
In the next hour, the besieged and their friends would be violently evicted with no graphic evidence left other than that taken by the police.
A hunger strike in San Isidro, the protest that does not let Havana sleep|Maykel González Vivero|November 30, 2020|Washington Blade

The company, reeling from the hit to air travel from the coronavirus pandemic, is trying to get its besieged 737 Max plane back into the air after two fatal crashes saw it grounded around the world.
China to impose sanctions on Boeing, Lockheed Martin, and Raytheon over arms sales to Taiwan|kdunn6|October 26, 2020|Fortune
There was Carol White, a ho-hum homemaker who finds herself besieged by multiple chemical sensitivity in Safe.
Julianne Moore Is Oscar Gold in ‘Still Alice’|Marlow Stern|December 24, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The people in charge of the convoys distributed the hejab to the besieged women along with the cartons of food.
Saudi Activist Manal Al-Sharif on Why She Removed the Veil|Manal Al Sharif, Advancing Human Rights|October 30, 2014|DAILY BEAST
I remember the days of the Bosnian war (1992—1995), when Saudi Arabia sent convoys of aid to those besieged in Sarajevo.
Saudi Activist Manal Al-Sharif on Why She Removed the Veil|Manal Al Sharif, Advancing Human Rights|October 30, 2014|DAILY BEAST
And late Friday night there were more strikes on outlying areas of the besieged city now mostly empty of civilians.
Impotent U.S. Airstrikes, Passive Turks and an ISIS Triumph|Jamie Dettmer|October 3, 2014|DAILY BEAST
During the ensuing years, Mandelbaum was besieged by a series of illnesses.
Meet 'The Queen of Thieves' Marm Mandelbaum, New York City's First Mob Boss|J. North Conway|September 7, 2014|DAILY BEAST
When a besieged city suspects a mine, do not the inhabitants dig underground, and meet their enemy at his work?
The Pastor's Fire-side Vol. 3 of 4|Jane Porter
As the siege progressed besiegers and besieged actually came to know each other by sight.
The Red Year|Louis Tracy
A vigorous attack was met by a spirited defence, the besieged frequently sallying and fighting at the outworks.
King Robert the Bruce|A. F. Murison
Prince of Conde, at the head of 2000 cavalry, threw himself into Cambray, then besieged by marshal Turenne.
The Every Day Book of History and Chronology|Joel Munsell
Our dragoman kept at bay all the clamouring crowd of porters, guides and nondescripts of all colours and races that besieged us.
Fifty Years of Railway Life in England, Scotland and Ireland|Joseph Tatlow