besiege
1 of 1verb/bɪˈsidʒ/
Forms:besieges,besieging,besieged,besieged
1
to surround a place, typically with armed forces, in order to force those inside to give up or surrender
transitive- The army decided to besiege the enemy fortress to weaken its defenses.
- During the siege, the opposing forces worked to besiege the city from all sides.
- The protesters sought to besiege the government building to demand change.
- In medieval warfare, it was common to besiege castles to gain control.
- The general devised a strategy to besiege the fort without heavy losses.
Synonyms:
2
to overwhelm someone with a flood of requests, complaints, or demands
transitive- The customer service line was besieged with complaints after the product recall.
- After the announcement, the office was besieged with emails asking for clarification.
- The company’s social media accounts were besieged with negative feedback.
- She was besieged with questions from the media after the event.
- The local council was besieged with petitions from citizens requesting action.
3
to overwhelm someone with worry, problems, or stress
transitive- She was besieged by worries about her upcoming presentation.
- They were besieged by doubts and insecurities before the big decision.
- The approaching storm besieges the city with fear and uncertainty.
- Financial problems besiege the small business owner at every turn.
- Grief continues to besiege the family after their sudden loss.