as in to besiege
to surround (as a fortified place) with armed forces for the purpose of capturing or preventing commerce and communication
beleaguered the castle for months
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Recent Examples of beleaguer
The California High-Speed Rail Authority, which seeks to build a high-speed rail line from Los Angeles to San Francisco, has been beleaguered by delays and increasing costs.
—
William Melhado, Sacramento Bee, 7 Jan. 2025
The French president, beleaguered by a political storm which saw the resignation this week of his prime minister Michel Barnier, toured the rebuilt cathedral this week and praised the tireless efforts of the many craftspeople involved – up to 2,000 skilled workers over five years.
—Caroline Frost, Deadline, 7 Dec. 2024
Lenora Chu Displeasure at mass immigration, an east German identity still beleaguered 35 years after the fall of communism, and a dampened economic outlook all provide fertile soil for extremism – prompting one-third of Thuringian voters to choose the far-right ballot.
—Lenora Chu, The Christian Science Monitor, 4 Dec. 2024
The coffee chain has been beleaguered by long lines and complicated custom orders with ballooning price tags, thanks to myriad add-ons.
—Bysasha Rogelberg, Fortune, 27 Nov. 2024
See All Example Sentences for beleaguer
William Melhado, Sacramento Bee, 7 Jan. 2025
The French president, beleaguered by a political storm which saw the resignation this week of his prime minister Michel Barnier, toured the rebuilt cathedral this week and praised the tireless efforts of the many craftspeople involved – up to 2,000 skilled workers over five years.
—Caroline Frost, Deadline, 7 Dec. 2024
Lenora Chu Displeasure at mass immigration, an east German identity still beleaguered 35 years after the fall of communism, and a dampened economic outlook all provide fertile soil for extremism – prompting one-third of Thuringian voters to choose the far-right ballot.
—Lenora Chu, The Christian Science Monitor, 4 Dec. 2024
The coffee chain has been beleaguered by long lines and complicated custom orders with ballooning price tags, thanks to myriad add-ons.
—Bysasha Rogelberg, Fortune, 27 Nov. 2024
See All Example Sentences for beleaguer
Recent Examples of Synonyms for beleaguer
besiege
Verb
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San Francisco’s Animal Care and Control was besieged with calls about the dangerous encounters with the problematic Crissy Field animal.—
Heather Knight,
New York Times,
19 May 2025
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In its 18-month campaign in Gaza, Israel has stood out by carrying out an open campaign on hospitals, besieging and raiding them, some several times, as well as hitting multiple others in strikes while accusing Hamas of using them as cover for its fighters.—
Samy Magdy,
Chicago Tribune,
13 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Beleaguer.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/beleaguer. Accessed 6 Jun. 2025.
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