beleaguer

[ bih-lee-ger ]
See synonyms for: beleaguerbeleaguered on Thesaurus.com

verb (used with object)
  1. to surround with military forces.

  2. to surround or beset, as with troubles.

Origin of beleaguer

1
First recorded in 1580–90; be- + leaguer1

Other words for beleaguer

Other words from beleaguer

  • be·lea·guer·er, noun

Words Nearby beleaguer

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use beleaguer in a sentence

  • And yet I cannot think that any Scottish or French rovers could land in such force as to beleaguer the fortalice.

    The White Company | Arthur Conan Doyle
  • Somehow that seemed to make her matter less, and Dodo had not at present made any determined effort to beleaguer her.

    Dodo's Daughter | E. F. Benson
  • For Edward took his army to beleaguer Calais, and after blockading it for nearly a year forced it to surrender.

  • The bold beleaguer'd post the hero gains, And the hard siege with various fate sustains.

    The Columbiad | Joel Barlow
  • In his tragedy of Ezelino, after the tyrant's downfall, a captain is sent to beleaguer Treviso, and reduce Ezelino's garrison.

British Dictionary definitions for beleaguer

beleaguer

/ (bɪˈliːɡə) /


verb(tr)
  1. to trouble persistently; harass

  2. to lay siege to

Origin of beleaguer

1
C16: from be- + leaguer 1

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012