beleaguer C2+ Topic:People & Society US /bɪˈliɡɚ/ UK /bɪˈliːɡə/ See IPA manual Meanings 1 verb to surround with troops; to beset with difficulties or harassment Reporters beleaguered the senator with questions about the scandal. Thesaurus Synonyms 1 verb · to surround with troops; to... besiegebesetharasssurroundplaguehoundbadger ↔ Opposites relievefreeliberate Word family Derived forms beleagueredbeleagueringbeleaguerment Related forms leaguer Etymology AI details From Dutch belegeren ('to besiege'), from be- ('around') + leger ('camp, army'), cognate with English lair and German Lager. belegeren Dutch leger Dutch View etymology graph -> Topics People & Society Word Formation & Derivatives External links Cambridge Dictionary Wiktionary Google Images # beleaguer **Type:** Word **Level:** C2+ **Part of speech:** verb **IPA (US):** /bɪˈliɡɚ/ **IPA (UK):** /bɪˈliːɡə/ ## Meanings 1. to surround with troops; to beset with difficulties or harassment ## Examples - Reporters beleaguered the senator with questions about the scandal. ## Synonyms - besiege - beset - harass - surround - plague - hound - badger ## Antonyms - relieve - free - liberate ## Derived Forms - beleaguered - beleaguering - beleaguerment ## Related Forms - leaguer ## Roots and Affixes - Root: belegeren - Root: leger ## Etymology From Dutch belegeren ('to besiege'), from be- ('around') + leger ('camp, army'), cognate with English lair and German Lager. ## AI Etymology Beleaguer is from Dutch belegeren ('to besiege'), from be- ('around') + leger ('camp, army'), cognate with English lair and German Lager. In present-day use, it means to surround with troops; to beset with difficulties or harassment. Derived formations include beleaguered, beleaguering, and beleaguerment. Related vocabulary includes leaguer. ## Topics - People & Society - Word Formation & Derivatives markdown