besiege

verb

be·​siege bi-ˈsēj How to pronounce besiege (audio)
bē-
besieged; besieging
Synonyms of besiege

transitive verb

1
military : to surround with armed forces
The army had besieged the castle.
2
a
: to press with requests : importune
… besieging the royal ministers with petitions …—T. B. Costain
besieged by the media
b
: to cause worry or distress to : beset
doubts besieged him
besieger noun

Synonyms of besiege

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Examples of besiege in a Sentence

Customers have besieged the company with questions.
Recent Examples on the Web
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.
In the adjacent room, the Shapiro team was equally besieged. — Victoria Gomelsky, Robb Report, 17 June 2026 Boston was besieged by the Tartan Army. — Becky Sullivan, NPR, 28 June 2026 Boris Yeltsin, to everyone’s shock, had then walked through the crowd and climbed one of the Soviet tanks besieging him. — Literary Hub, 22 June 2026 Some time later, however, King Ben-hadad of Aram mustered his entire army and besieged Samaria. — Helaine Williams, Arkansas Online, 6 June 2026 See All Example Sentences for besiege

Word History

First Known Use

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of besiege was in the 13th century

Rhymes for besiege

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Browse Nearby Words

beside the point
besiege
besiegingly
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Cite this Entry

“Besiege.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/besiege. Accessed 7 Jul. 2026.

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Kids Definition

besiege

verb
be·​siege bi-ˈsēj How to pronounce besiege (audio)
besieged; besieging
1
: to surround with armed forces for the purpose of capturing
2
: to trouble with requests
3
: to cause worry or distress to
doubts besieged him
besieger noun

More from Merriam-Webster on besiege

Nglish: Translation of besiege for Spanish Speakers

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