siege

[ seej ]
/ sidʒ /
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noun

verb (used with object), sieged, sieg·ing.

to assail or assault; besiege.

QUIZZES

CHALLENGE YOURSELF WITH THESE WORDS FROM "LITTLE WOMEN"

"Little Women" may be a classic, but that doesn't mean we all know the meanings of the vocab words from the book. Can you define these words correctly and make Jo proud?
Question 1 of 10
earnest
full seriousness, as of intention or purpose.
a feeling of dread, anxiety, or anguish.
urgent character; imperativeness; insistence; importunateness.
TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Idioms for siege

    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.
SEE SYNONYMS FOR siege ON THESAURUS.COM

OTHER WORDS FROM siege

siege·a·ble, adjectiveun·sieged, adjective

Words nearby siege

sidra, sidrah, sids, sieg heil, siegbahn, siege, siege mentality, siege perilous, siege piece, siegen, siegfried
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Words related to siege

closure, restriction, stoppage, roadblock, barricade, encirclement, beset, bedevil, plague, annoy, clog, bar, wall, stop, snag, obstruction, obstacle, impediment, hindrance, infarct

Example sentences from the Web for siege

British Dictionary definitions for siege

siege
/ (siːdʒ) /

noun

  1. the offensive operations carried out to capture a fortified place by surrounding it, severing its communications and supply lines, and deploying weapons against it
  2. (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 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012