BESIEGED Synonyms: 160 Similar and Opposite Words

besieged

verb

past tense of besiege

as in blockaded

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

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as in plagued

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

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as in petitioned

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

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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 besieged Mehra – director of 2016 pic Baar Baar Dekho and creator of Prime Video series Big Girls Don’t Cry – says that while Indian audiences are besieged by films and TV content right now, where Hunkkaar has cut through is in its subject matter. — Jesse Whittock, Deadline, 13 Oct. 2026 Its largest medical center, Al-Shifa Hospital, was besieged, bombed, and raided, under false pretexts, resulting in hundreds of deaths inside. — Literary Hub, 13 Oct. 2026 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 Saunders is one of the most senior Australian Catholics to be convicted in a global clergy abuse scandal that has besieged the Vatican for years. — ABC News, 13 Aug. 2026 The Pratts are in serious crisis, besieged by bullies and bad neighbors outside of their house and foundation-crumbling dysfunction inside it. — David Fear, Rolling Stone, 12 Aug. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for besieged

Verb

As pupils blockaded high schools, large crowds waving flags and placards gathered in Marseille, Strasbourg and other cities.

— NICOLAS GARRIGA, Arkansas Online, 7 Oct. 2026
On Tuesday, people spilled into the streets for a nationwide day of protest after over two weeks of student demonstrations that have blockaded schools across the country.

— Ellen Francis, Washington Post, 6 Oct. 2026

Definition of blockaded

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 plagued

Verb

Authorities said John had been a special needs student at the school and had attacked a classroom with special needs students.

— HAVEN DALEY, Arkansas Online, 17 Oct. 2026
On Friday, settlers attacked the village as residents, accompanied by peace activists, set out early for the harvest.

— Sam Metz, Los Angeles Times, 16 Oct. 2026

Definition of attacked

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
While the epicenter was located in Nantou County in central Taiwan, serious damage afflicted residents across the island as roads buckled, bridges collapsed and landslides destroyed everything in their path.

— Desiree Anello, PEOPLE, 21 Sep. 2026

Definition of afflicted

Verb

Theo was not rich, and Vincent constantly complained about being broke, with not even enough money for food, and often practically begged his brother for more money.

— Joan Martelli, Time, 17 Oct. 2026
With Blauvelt's killer still on the loose, her family begged for answers.

— ABC News, ABC News, 9 Oct. 2026

Definition of begged

Verb

Ed Sheeran‘s beleaguered Gillette Stadium concerts tonight and Saturday have been canceled due to the nor’easter threatening New England with severe weather.

— Greg Evans, Deadline, 25 Sep. 2026
Multi-talented All-Star forward Shawn Marion had just been traded from upbeat Phoenix (34-14) to beleaguered Miami (9-37) in a deal for disgruntled center Shaquille O’Neal.

— Chris Perkins, Sun Sentinel, 24 Sep. 2026

Definition of beleaguered

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

Definition of persecuted

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“Besieged.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/besieged. Accessed 21 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of besieged

verb

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