besiegement
Also found in: Thesaurus, Idioms.
be·siege
(bĭ-sēj′)tr.v. be·sieged, be·sieg·ing, be·sieg·es
1. To surround with hostile forces: The soldiers besieged the walled city.
2. To crowd around; hem in: Fans besieged the star as she came out of the hotel.
3. To harass or overwhelm, as with requests: a shop owner besieged by job applications.
[Middle English besegen, probably alteration of assegen, from Old French assegier, from Vulgar Latin *assedicāre : Latin ad-, ad- + Vulgar Latin *sedicāre, to sit; see siege.]
be·siege′ment n.
be·sieg′er n.
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
besiegement
(bɪˈsiːdʒmənt)n
1. the state of being besieged
2. the act of besieging
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014
ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:
Switch to new thesaurus
besiegement
nounA prolonged surrounding of an objective by hostile troops:
The American Heritage® Roget's Thesaurus. Copyright © 2013, 2014 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.