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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Mamdani would now have an advantage as the Democratic candidate for mayor in an overwhelmingly Democratic city, in which many feel besieged by President Donald Trump’s aggressive crackdown on undocumented immigrants, his assault on Columbia University, and proposed cuts to social welfare programs.—
Eduardo Cuevas,
USA Today,
26 June 2025
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Los Angeles County’s looming agreement with its biggest labor union is expected to cost a little more than $2 billion over three years — the latest hit to a budget besieged by financial woes.—
Rebecca Ellis,
Los Angeles Times,
24 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Beleaguer.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/beleaguer. Accessed 21 Jul. 2025.
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