beleaguered

American  

[bih-lee-gerd] / bɪˈli gərd /

adjective

1. surrounded by military forces; besieged.

   The beleaguered city of Limerick, having stood to the last, finally capitulated to the forces of William of Orange.

2. beset, surrounded, or overburdened by troubles.

   Restoring our beleaguered oceans to health will require an emphasis on diversification and conservation, and more sensible fishing practices.

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verb

1. the simple past tense and past participle of beleaguer.

Etymology

Origin of beleaguered

beleaguer ( def. ) + -ed ² ( def. )

Example Sentences

BBC Sport examines whether time is already running out for Celtic's beleaguered boss.

From BBC

The first night of Hanukkah in Pacific Palisades, coming nearly a year after January’s wildfires, was always going to evoke both joy and loss in the beleaguered community.

From Los Angeles Times

By directly contradicting your famous “build don’t buy” mantra, you have managed to throw the already beleaguered entertainment industry into an apoplectic meltdown, and just in time for the holidays!

From Los Angeles Times

A quieter subsidy that will halve electricity prices for commercial customers should give a faster boost to beleaguered German industry, Brzeski points out.

From Barron's

Two Fiserv executives are putting their money where their mouths are as they bet that the beleaguered financial-services company can see a turnaround.

From MarketWatch

Related Words

• ringed