besieged
Americanadjective
-
(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
Other Word Forms
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
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The city has already been besieged by an unusually active, El Niño-fueled hurricane season, taking damage from Hurricane Marie over Labor Day weekend and Hurricane Polo last month.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 9, 2026
Others floated conspiracy theories accusing the mysterious “they” of trying to “control” Clavicular, or claiming he is besieged with “women trying to ruin his life with rumors.”
From Salon ● Sep. 25, 2026
The U.S. became involved in the dispute because at least one of the besieged homes was owned by an American citizen.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 13, 2026
When we parked up, I recall Wembley being besieged by ticket touts who were looking to sell.
From BBC ● Jul. 29, 2026
So now at last the City was besieged, enclosed in a ring of foes.
From "The Return of the King" by J.R.R. Tolkien
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