beleaguer

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

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.
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

Browse Nearby Words

Podcast

Cite this Entry

“Beleaguer.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/beleaguer. Accessed 22 Apr. 2025.

More from Merriam-Webster on beleaguer

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!