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

Relevance

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

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Recent Examples of besiege States will assert ownership of fishing grounds, tamper with undersea cables, and, potentially, conquer or besiege islands. — Michael Albertus, Foreign Affairs, 30 Sep. 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 See All Example Sentences for besiege

Recent Examples of Synonyms for besiege

Verb

Egypt's president sought to reassure the public that the country wouldn't attack Yemen, and that the military support is limited to defending Saudi territory.

— Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 27 Oct. 2026
Back in 2023, Stevens revealed he was diagnosed with Guillain-Barré syndrome—a rare auto-immune disorder in which the body’s immune system attacks the nerves—and was working to relearn how to walk and use his hands.

— Nina Corcoran, Pitchfork, 27 Oct. 2026

Definition of attack

Verb

Deloitte-run systems have been plagued by errors that can result in eligible people losing their health coverage, previous KFF Health News investigations have shown.

— Samantha Liss, CBS News, 20 Oct. 2026
The president used an antisemitic slur to defend Marshall’s history of suing patients for medical debt, a controversy that has plagued the incumbent senator in recent weeks.

— Kacen Bayless, Kansas City Star, 20 Oct. 2026

Definition of plague

Verb

Speaking to Variety ahead of the market, Mackinnon says the show takes its title from the chronic burnout that afflicts emergency workers on the job.

— Christopher Vourlias, Variety, 20 Oct. 2026
On screen, Guitarrica’s expressive and angular visage conveys the fright and uncertainty that afflict his character, who is desperate for tenderness.

— Carlos Aguilar, Los Angeles Times, 15 Oct. 2026

Definition of afflict

Verb

The plan could affect not only the path that encircles the park, used by large numbers of residents, but also the golf course’s historic grove of Japanese cherry trees.

— Sophia Solano, Washington Post, 20 Oct. 2026
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

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