Word of the Day:

December 13, 2021

beleaguer

verb bih-LEE-gur

What it Means

Beleaguer means "to trouble or harass."

// The coach, beleaguered by the media and fans for his poor decision-making during games, has been fired.

Beleaguer in Context

"Pharmacists, some of whom already are financially beleaguered, say they can't afford an additional, unexpected hit that takes away as much as 50% of their annual profit." — Darrel Rowland, The Akron (Ohio) Beacon Journal, 31 Oct. 2021

More example sentences

Did You Know?

Beleaguer comes from the Dutch word belegeren. Leger means "camp" and the prefix be- means "about" or "around." Belegeren, by definition, is a neutral verb ("to camp around"); however, beleaguer implies trouble. It is also synonymous with besiege.