BESIEGE Synonyms: 154 Similar and Opposite Words

besiege

verb

bi-ˈsēj

Definition of besiege

as in to attack

to surround (as a fortified place) with armed forces for the purpose of capturing or preventing commerce and communication armies besieged the city for six months before it finally surrendered

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in to plague

to cause persistent suffering to a family besieged by worries about the faltering economy

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in to beg

to make a request to (someone) in an earnest or urgent manner bereaved parents continued to besiege the president with pleas to end the war

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of besiege The settlers who carried out the attack in Jalud overnight are the same group who besieged the home of a Palestinian-American in the neighboring village of Qusra last month, local residents say. — Zeena Saifi, CNN Money, 29 Sep. 2026 There has been a spate of Israeli settler violence in the West Bank, and the village of Qusra has been besieged by Israeli settlers for weeks. — F. Brinley Bruton, NBC news, 29 Aug. 2026 One of them, Muammar Ibrahim, reported for Al Jazeera’s Arabic network while the city was besieged. — Mat Nashed, Christian Science Monitor, 27 Aug. 2026 Indiana, besieged by injuries after reaching the 2025 NBA Finals, was 1-12 when Mathurin returned. — William Guillory, New York Times, 26 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for besiege

Recent Examples of Synonyms for besiege

Verb

Protesters, many of whom have been seen carrying Palestinian flags, have set fire to historic buildings and attacked civilians.

— Timothy Nerozzi, The Washington Examiner, 20 Oct. 2026
Electrons can then leak out of the chain, bonding with oxygen in the wrong parts of the mitochondria to form highly reactive free radicals that attack and deform neighboring molecules.

— Rowan Jacobsen, Scientific American, 20 Oct. 2026

Definition of attack

Verb

Speculation and conspiracy theories have plagued Kirk’s death, fueled even by public figures such as Candace Owens, a longtime friend of Kirk, who has been outspoken about her belief that his death was orchestrated in an elaborate plot.

— Mackenzie Chase, The Washington Examiner, 14 Oct. 2026
Hoover’s replacement has thus far been a miss, and the problem that plagued this program in losses in each of the last two years has not changed.

— Mac Engel October 14, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 14 Oct. 2026

Definition of plague

Verb

Protesters have broken into schools and, in some cases, set fire to occupied or blockaded buildings.

— Nicholas Bequelin, Time, 16 Oct. 2026
On one side, legions of determined teenagers protesting for their future by blockading schools and taking part in marches that have sometimes spiraled into violence.

— ABC News, ABC News, 16 Oct. 2026

Definition of blockade

Verb

Love contains the seeds of its own destruction—the cruelty and self-absorption that turns the afflicted against one another, and themselves.

— Merve Emre, New Yorker, 8 Oct. 2026
Engineers have also taken steps to ensure that a CFT-like thruster anomaly doesn't afflict future Starliner flights.

— Mike Wall, Space.com, 28 Sep. 2026

Definition of afflict

Verb

Graham had spent over a year petitioning for the move before his death on July 11.

— Rebecca Schneid, Time, 17 Oct. 2026
Desirée did not opt to petition for the return of the Cranach, not wishing to run an art dealership, but did successfully pursue restitution for other property.

— Brian Boucher, ARTnews.com, 16 Oct. 2026

Definition of petition

Verb

In 2010, Cassini watched as a giant storm formed in Saturn's northern hemisphere, then grew to encircle the entire planet through 2011.

— Tariq Malik, Space.com, 15 Oct. 2026
Earlier, the Houthis seized several villages and areas on Taiz's outskirts, paving the way for the rebels to encircle Taiz, Yemen's third-largest city.

— AHMED AL-HAJ, Arkansas Online, 6 Oct. 2026

Definition of encircle

Verb

Those governments provide assurances that people won’t be persecuted or tortured, federal attorneys said.

— Lindsay Whitehurst, Los Angeles Times, 29 Sep. 2026
Also, some immigration cases involve people seeking asylum because they are being persecuted by a foreign government and releasing a person’s full name could be considered sensitive or even dangerous.

— Laura Tillman, Hartford Courant, 11 Sep. 2026