besieging

verb

Definition of besiegingnext
present participle of besiege
1
as in blockading
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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2
as in plaguing
to cause persistent suffering to a family besieged by worries about the faltering economy

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3
as in petitioning
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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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Examples Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for besieging
  1. petitioning
  2. attacking
  3. afflicting
  4. begging
  5. encircling
  6. assaulting
Verb
  • Florida Governor Ron DeSantis spent years petitioning the federal government to let the Sunshine State import drugs directly from Canada.
    Sally Pipes, Forbes, 9 Dec. 2024
  • Today, a small but active community of Black Catholics is petitioning the Vatican for the accelerated canonisation of six Black American candidates for sainthood, the oldest of whom, Pierre Toussaint, has been dead for 171 years.
    Seyward Darby, Longreads, 4 Dec. 2024
Definition of petitioning
Verb
  • The moves sparked a wave of opprobrium from Egypt, Jordan, Saudi Arabia and Qatar, which accused Israel of attacking Syria’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.
    Nabih Bulos, Los Angeles Times, 11 Dec. 2024
  • It was inspired by the Central Park Five, the name given to the Black and Latino teen-agers who in 1989 were wrongly accused of attacking and raping a white woman in Central Park.
    Calvin Tomkins, The New Yorker, 9 Dec. 2024
Definition of attacking
Verb
  • Maylia and Jack are both kids, two of the untold number of minors caught up in one side or the other of the burgeoning fentanyl trade afflicting the US.
    Longreads, Longreads, 4 Oct. 2024
  • Whatever's afflicting you out there, in here the coffee is always hot, the fries are always crispy and the ranch dip is always free.
    Tyler Buchanan, Axios, 18 Oct. 2024
Definition of afflicting
Verb
  • People were begging me to cut it down.
    Yasmeen Serhan, TIME, 10 Dec. 2024
  • Literally begging any of these idiots to understand how the internet works.
    Joseph Epstein, Newsweek, 10 Dec. 2024
Definition of begging
Verb
  • Advertisement Kim was a central figure in Yoon’s martial law enforcement, which led to special forces troops encircling the National Assembly building and army helicopters hovering over it.
    Hyung-Jin Kim and Kim Tong-Hyung, Los Angeles Times, 8 Dec. 2024
  • On Tuesday, special forces troops were observed encircling the parliament building and army helicopters were hovering over it.
    Landon Mion, Fox News, 7 Dec. 2024
Definition of encircling
Verb
  • The Alexanders also procured drugs, including GHB and cocaine, and would sometimes spike women's drinks before assaulting them, the indictment said.
    Aaron Katersky, ABC News, 11 Dec. 2024
  • He was also convicted of assaulting a child over an eight-year period between 2010 and 2018.
    Jake Kanter, Deadline, 11 Dec. 2024
Definition of assaulting
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.

Thesaurus Entries Near besieging

besieges

besieging

besmear

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Cite this Entry

“Besieging.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/besieging. Accessed 21 Dec. 2024.

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More from Merriam-Webster on besieging

Nglish: Translation of besieging for Spanish Speakers

Britannica English: Translation of besieging for Arabic Speakers

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