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Besieging

   Also found in: Legal, Encyclopedia, Wikipedia 0.01 sec.
be·siege  (b-sj)
tr.v. be·sieged, be·sieg·ing, be·sieg·es
1. To surround with hostile forces.
2. To crowd around; hem in.
3. To harass or importune, as with requests: Reporters besieged the winner for interviews.
4. To cause to feel distressed or worried: She was besieged by problems.

[Middle English besegen, probably alteration of assegen, from Old French assegier, from Vulgar Latin *assedicre : Latin ad-, ad- + Vulgar Latin *sedicre, to sit; see siege.]

be·siegement n.
be·sieger n.
Synonyms: besiege, beleaguer, blockade, invest, siege
These verbs mean to surround with hostile forces: besiege a walled city; the enemy beleaguered the enclave; blockaded the harbor; investing a fortress; a castle sieged by invaders.
ThesaurusLegend:  Synonyms Related Words Antonyms
Noun1.Besiegingbesieging - the action of an armed force that surrounds a fortified place and isolates it while continuing to attack
blockade, encirclement - a war measure that isolates some area of importance to the enemy
armed forces, armed services, military, military machine, war machine - the military forces of a nation; "their military is the largest in the region"; "the military machine is the same one we faced in 1991 but now it is weaker"


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? Mentioned in ? References in classic literature
 
"Thou forgettest, however, Ben-Levi," replied Abel-Phittim, "that the Roman Pompey, who is now impiously besieging the city of the Most High, has no assurity that we apply not the lambs thus purchased for the altar, to the sustenance of the body, rather than of the spirit.
2: The story goes that Heracles was besieging Themiscyra on the Thermodon and could not take it; but Antiope, being in love with Theseus who was with Heracles on this expedition, betrayed the place.
We had no sooner gotten rid of the Spain distress than the Gibraltar guides started another--a tiresome repetition of a legend that had nothing very astonishing about it, even in the first place: "That high hill yonder is called the Queen's Chair; it is because one of the queens of Spain placed her chair there when the French and Spanish troops were besieging Gibraltar, and said she would never move from the spot till the English flag was lowered from the fortresses.
 
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