siege
[ seej ]
/ sidʒ /
noun
verb (used with object), sieged, sieg·ing.
to assail or assault; besiege.
RELATED CONTENT
RELATED WORDS
closure, restriction, stoppage, roadblock, barricade, encirclement, beset, bedevil, plague, annoy, clog, bar, wall, stop, snag, obstruction, obstacle, impediment, hindrance, infarct
Nearby words
Idioms
lay siege to, to besiege: The army laid siege to the city for over a month.
Origin of siege
1175–1225; (noun) Middle English sege < Old French: seat, noun derivative of siegier < Vulgar Latin *sedicāre to set, derivative of Latin sedēre to sit1; (v.) Middle English segen, derivative of the noun
SYNONYMS FOR siege
1 Siege, blockade are terms for prevention of free movement to or from a place during wartime. Siege implies surrounding a city and cutting off its communications, and usually includes direct assaults on its defenses. Blockade is applied more often to naval operations that block all commerce, especially to cut off food and other supplies from defenders.
Related formssiege·a·ble, adjectiveun·sieged, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
Examples from the Web for siege
British Dictionary definitions for siege
siege
/ (siːdʒ) /
noun
- the offensive operations carried out to capture a fortified place by surrounding it, severing its communications and supply lines, and deploying weapons against it
- (as modifier)siege warfare
a persistent attempt to gain something
a long tedious period, as of illness, etc
obsolete a seat or throne
lay siege to to besiege
verb
(tr) to besiege or assail
Word Origin for siege
C13: from Old French sege a seat, from Vulgar Latin sēdicāre (unattested) to sit down, from Latin sedēre
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
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