siege

1 of 2

noun

ˈsēj

also ˈsēzh

Synonyms of siege

: a military blockade of a city or fortified place to compel it to surrender

: a persistent or serious attack (as of illness)

obsolete : a seat of distinction : throne

verb

sieged; sieging

transitive verb

: to lay siege to : to attack militarily : besiege

Insurgents rampaged through the countryside, sacked haciendas and mills, occupied small towns, and sieged the largest cities, Cusco and La Paz.—Sergio Serulnikov

Examples of siege in a Sentence

Noun The castle was built to withstand a siege. The city is in a state of siege.

Recent Examples on the Web

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Noun

Once the ruthless commander of Bosnian Serb forces, Mladic oversaw the siege of Sarajevo, mass killings and the 1995 Srebrenica massacre that left more than 8,000 Muslim men and boys dead. — Jovana Gec, Los Angeles Times, 27 Aug. 2026 The siege at Waco, which had killed three Australian members of the Branch Davidians, was in the news, and the reporter looked at this American import with suspicion. — Christopher Cox, Vanity Fair, 26 Aug. 2026

Verb

This remote sieging tactic has been enabled by advances in Ukrainian drone technology. — Vikram Mittal, Forbes.com, 14 May 2026 Moreover, the Geneva Conventions themselves do not require a sieging party to allow in aid when it will be commandeered by the enemy or provide a military advantage, both of which are indisputably the case with Hamas in Gaza. — Matt Robison, Newsweek, 21 Nov. 2024 See All Example Sentences for siege

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English sege, from Anglo-French, seat, blockade, from Old French *siegier to seat, settle, from Vulgar Latin *sedicare, from Latin sedēre to sit — more at sit

First Known Use

Noun

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Verb

14th century, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler

The first known use of siege was in the 13th century

See more words from the same century

Cite this Entry

Style

“Siege.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/siege. Accessed 1 Sep. 2026.

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Kids Definition

siege

noun

ˈsēj

: the placing of an army around a fortified place or city to force it to surrender

: a lasting attack (as of illness)

siege

noun

verb

Synonyms of siege

Examples of siege in a Sentence

Word History

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Kids Definition

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siege

noun

verb

Synonyms of siege

Examples of siege in a Sentence

Word History

Phrases Containing siege

Rhymes for siege

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Kids Definition

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More from Merriam-Webster

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