besetting
Americanadjective
adjective
Etymology
Origin of besetting
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.
Both mother and daughter reflect on the troubles besetting their own family, as the mother tries to write a novel.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 12, 2026
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
My terror, as I lay there, of falling ill, and being unfitted for to-morrow, was so besetting, that I wonder it did not disable me of itself.
From "Great Expectations" by Charles Dickens
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.
