siege

[ seej ]

/ sidʒ /

|||

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noun

the act or process of surrounding and attacking a fortified place in such a way as to isolate it from help and supplies, for the purpose of lessening the resistance of the defenders and thereby making capture possible.

any prolonged or persistent effort to overcome resistance.

a series of illnesses, troubles, or annoyances besetting a person or group: a siege of head colds.

a prolonged period of trouble or annoyance.

Also sedge. Ornithology.

a flock of herons.
the station of a heron at prey.

the shelf or floor of a glassmaking furnace on which the glass pots are set.

Obsolete.

a seat, especially one used by a person of distinction, as a throne.
station as to rank or class.

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

to assail or assault; besiege.

Nearby words

sidrah, sids, sieg heil, siegbahn, siegbahn, karl manne georg, siege, siege mentality, siege perilous, siege piece, siegen, siegfried

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.

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR siege ON THESAURUS.COM

Related forms

siege·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

The Kurds claimed at least 100 Islamic militants were killed in the two-day battle to lift the siege.
Iraqi Kurds Get Their Groove Back, End Siege of Mount Sinjar|Jamie Dettmer|December 20, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Steve Garth, who works in Circular Quay, was inside the Cartier jewelry store near the café when the siege began.
Jihadi Siege in Sydney Ends in Gunfight|Courtney Subramanian, Lennox Samuels, Chris Allbritton|December 15, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The Siege of Boston marked the opening phase of the American Revolution.
The British Royals Reinvade Brooklyn: William and Kate Come Watch Basketball on Historic Battle Site|Justin Jones|December 6, 2014|DAILY BEAST
In late August, U.S. airpower and Iranian-backed militias broke the ISIS siege on the town of Amerli.
Iran Orders Elite Troops: Lay Off U.S. Forces in Iraq|Eli Lake|October 6, 2014|DAILY BEAST

In Iraq, Tehran was our silent partner, working to break an ISIS siege and edging out Maliki.
How Iran Could Become Our Shadow Enemy in the Syria ISIS War|Jacob Siegel|September 16, 2014|DAILY BEAST
During the siege, the prophet was more than once anxiously consulted by the king as to the issue of the crisis.
The Expositor's Bible: The Prophecies of Jeremiah|C J Ball
The siege of Colchester terminated in a manner no less unfortunate than Hamilton's engagement for the royal cause.
The History of England in Three Volumes, Vol.I., Part E.|David Hume
Under the command of Camillus the army hotly pressed the siege.
Historic Tales, Volume 11 (of 15)|Charles Morris
Charleston, after a forty days' siege, was forced to surrender.
Comic History of the United States|Bill Nye
The story of the siege of Troy and of the great events of Homer's Iliad.
Special Method in Primary Reading and Oral Work with Stories|Charles Alexander McMurry

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 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012