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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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in plaguing
to cause persistent suffering to a family besieged by worries about the faltering economy

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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
  • This comes on the heels of an attorney for the brothers petitioning to move the case from the DA's office to the California Attorney General's Office, claiming a conflict of interest between Hochman and Kathleen Cady, whom Hoch just appointed director of the department's Bureau of Victim Services.
    Emily Shapiro, ABC News, 3 Jan. 2025
  • That likely means fewer conservation funding dollars, fewer PF members, and fewer folks willing to write their senator petitioning for upland habitat conservation and bird hunting access.
    Alex Robinson, Outdoor Life, 1 Jan. 2025
Definition of petitioning
Verb
  • The inmate accused of fatally attacking prison guard Andrew Lansing on Christmas Day was issued a misconduct report in April for making threats, according to Lansing's brother and the prison guard union.
    Laura A. Bischoff, The Enquirer, 27 Dec. 2024
  • The two attacking players could only be registered once a unique loophole opened up via long-term injuries to center backs Andreas Christensen and Ronald Araujo was exploited by the Catalans.
    Tom Sanderson, Forbes, 27 Dec. 2024
Definition of attacking
Verb
  • An audacious plan In the mid-1980s, global health agencies were otherwise occupied and heads of state largely overlooked the illness afflicting millions of their citizens.
    Sam Mednick, Chicago Tribune, 30 Dec. 2024
  • The United States now suffers from twin pathologies—one afflicting the health of its citizens and the other the health of its political system.
    Thomas J. Bollyky, Foreign Affairs, 30 Jan. 2020
Definition of afflicting
Verb
  • That's the question begging for answers after court documents revealed horrific details about the abuse 7-year-old Kayden Gavarrete suffered for months before dying three days before Christmas.
    Jade Jackson, The Indianapolis Star, 30 Dec. 2024
  • Instead, he has officially been recast as a villain that fans have been begging for since James Gunn took the reins.
    George Monastiriakos, Newsweek, 30 Dec. 2024
Definition of begging
Verb
  • The outdoorsy feel continues inside, where rounded columns on concrete bases support a pile of timber boxes encircling a courtyard.
    Justin Davidson, Curbed, 8 Jan. 2025
  • Yoon defended his decision for troops to be deployed at the election commission as other forces were encircling the National Assembly.
    KIM TONG-HYUNG THE ASSOCIATED PRESS, arkansasonline.com, 21 Dec. 2024
Definition of encircling
Verb
  • The men allegedly took turns assaulting Doe while the female celebrity watched.
    Cheyenne Roundtree, Rolling Stone, 8 Jan. 2025
  • In another setback, Le Pen lost his European Parliament seat in 2002 for a year for assaulting a Socialist politician during a 1997 election campaign.
    Thomas Adamson, Los Angeles Times, 7 Jan. 2025
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 20 Jan. 2025.

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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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