siege
siege Lexical Profile
siege Game Scores & Validity
• noun
A military operation in which enemy forces surround a town or building, cutting off essential supplies, with the aim of compelling those inside to surrender.
"Archaeologists uncovered remnants of the ancient city walls that had withstood a prolonged siege."
A prolonged period of misfortune, illness, or persistent pressure and harassment.
"The celebrity endured a relentless siege of photographers outside the hotel entrance."
• verb
To surround and blockade a place with armed forces in order to capture it or force its surrender.
"Historical chronicles describe how the rival kingdom sieged the hilltop citadel for nearly a year."
Word Nuance & Usage
As a verb, 'besiege' is much more common in modern standard English than 'siege'. Additionally, learners often confuse the spelling of 'siege' (i before e) with 'seize' (e before i).
• Rhymes for siege
Word Origin & Etymology
Borrowed from Old French 'sege' (meaning 'seat' or 'throne'), ultimately deriving from Vulgar Latin '*sedicum' and Latin 'sedere' ('to sit'), referring to an army sitting down in front of a fortress to wait out its defenders.
Usage Trend
Historical frequency of usage in published text.