besiege

C2 Topic:Actions & Processes

US /bəˈsiːd͡ʒ/ See IPA manual

Freq #61138

Meanings

1

verb
To surround a place with armed forces to force it to surrender

Enemy troops besieged the city for months.
2

verb
To crowd around or overwhelm someone with questions, requests, or demands

Reporters besieged the actor as soon as he left the building.
3

verb
To trouble or overwhelm someone with worries or problems

He was besieged by doubts about whether he had made the right choice.

Verb forms

Verb forms are not available for this word yet.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 verb · to surround a place with... surround

Word family

Forms besiegedbesiegesbesieging

Derived forms besiegementbesiegerbesieginglyrebesiegeunbesieged

Etymology

From Middle English besegen, bisegen, equivalent to be- (“around, about”) + siege.

*sed- Proto-Indo-European besegen Middle English

View etymology graph ->

Topics

Actions & Processes

External links

# besiege

**Type:** Word
**Level:** C2
**Part of speech:** verb
**IPA (US):** /bəˈsiːd͡ʒ/
**Frequency rank:** 61138

## Meanings
1. To surround a place with armed forces to force it to surrender
2. To crowd around or overwhelm someone with questions, requests, or demands
3. To trouble or overwhelm someone with worries or problems

## Examples
- Enemy troops besieged the city for months.
- Reporters besieged the actor as soon as he left the building.
- He was besieged by doubts about whether he had made the right choice.

## Derived Forms
- besiegement
- besieger
- besiegingly
- rebesiege
- unbesieged

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: *sed-
- Root: besegen

## Etymology
From Middle English besegen, bisegen, equivalent to be- (“around, about”) + siege.

## AI Etymology
Besiege is from Middle English besegen, bisegen, equivalent to be- (“around, about”) + siege. The analysis is mainly morphological: the modern verbal form is built from the named base and affix. Important recorded forms include *sed- (Proto-Indo-European) and besegen (Middle English). Current senses include to surround a place with armed forces to force it to surrender, to crowd around or overwhelm someone with questions, requests, or demands, and to trouble or overwhelm someone with worries or problems. The wider family includes derived forms such as besiegement, besieger, besiegingly, rebesiege, and unbesieged.

## Topics
- Actions & Processes

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