siege

[ seej ]

/ sidʒ /

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See synonyms for: siege / sieged / sieging on Thesaurus.com

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.

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His boss, whom he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

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Idioms about siege

lay siege to, to besiege: The army laid siege to the city for over a month.

Origin of siege

First recorded in 1175–1225; (noun) Middle English sege, from Old French: “seat,” noun derivative of siegier, from unattested Vulgar Latin sedicāre “to set,” derivative of Latin sedēre “to sit” (see sit¹); (verb) Middle English segen, derivative of the noun

synonym study 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.

OTHER WORDS FROM siege

siege·a·ble, adjectiveun·sieged, adjective

Words nearby siege

Sidrah, SIDS, siècle, siècle d'or, Siegbahn, siege, siege mentality, Siegen, Siege Perilous, siege piece, Siegfried

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use siege in a sentence

Dating apps are using images from the siege to ban rioters’ accountsThe IPO is expected in February, Bloomberg has reported.
Bumble gave women more power in dating. Now the app is giving women power in the boardroom.|Jena McGregor|February 5, 2021|Washington Post
He is also the youngest founder and the one whose company is the most under siege.
With Bezos out as Amazon CEO, Zuckerberg is the last man standing|Elizabeth Dwoskin|February 3, 2021|Washington Post
The siege of the Capitol came close to being far worse, and there are indications that some rioters intended to harm lawmakers.
It’s time to take domestic nuclear terrorism seriously|Jayita Sarkar|January 27, 2021|Washington Post
Some lawmakers are now taken aback by how Irving managed the siege.
House security chief said lawmaker wariness of military at Capitol drove his resistance to early request for National Guard|Rosalind Helderman, Beth Reinhard, Karoun Demirjian, Carol D. Leonnig|January 19, 2021|Washington Post

Once shepherded to the secure location, Pence remained there throughout the entire siege, even as most key congressional leaders were evacuated to an off-site secure location, according to administration and congressional aides.
How the rioters who stormed the Capitol came dangerously close to Pence|Ashley Parker, Carol D. Leonnig, Paul Kane, Emma Brown|January 15, 2021|Washington Post
And even as the bloody siege continues, so, too, do signs of life.
The Brothers Who Ambushed ISIS|Mohammed A. Salih|December 27, 2014|DAILY BEAST
It has long been a battle cry in conservative circles that Christmas is under siege.
Why I’m for the War on Christmas|Asawin Suebsaeng|December 23, 2014|DAILY BEAST
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
As a cafe in Sydney, Australia came under siege by a hostage-taking gunman on Monday, those nearby attempted to flee the area.
In Defense of Uber’s Awful Sydney Surge Pricing|Olivia Nuzzi|December 16, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Purely by chance, Anna Coren had landed in Sydney just as the chocolate shop siege began.
CNN's Overnight Sydney Star|Lloyd Grove|December 16, 2014|DAILY BEAST
After an eight weeks' siege, a breach having been made, the city surrendered, and a month later the fort followed the example.
Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine, No. CCCXXXIX. January, 1844. Vol. LV.|Various
This is a conquered city, virtually if not nominally in a state of siege, without assignable period.
Glances at Europe|Horace Greeley
During the siege of Acre he commanded the covering force, and pushed reconnaissances far and wide.
Napoleon's Marshals|R. P. Dunn-Pattison
To pull through such a siege, the old settlers usually did much better than the new.
The Homesteader|Oscar Micheaux
As the siege progressed besiegers and besieged actually came to know each other by sight.
The Red Year|Louis Tracy

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

siege

Idioms about siege

Origin of siege

synonym study for siege

OTHER WORDS FROM siege

Words nearby siege

Words related to siege

How to use siege in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for siege

Word Origin for siege