the act or process of surrounding and attacking a fortified place in such a way as to isolate it from help and supplies, for the purpose of lessening the resistance of the defenders and thereby making capture possible.
any prolonged or persistent effort to overcome resistance.
a series of illnesses, troubles, or annoyances besetting a person or group: a siege of head colds.
a prolonged period of trouble or annoyance.
Also sedge. Ornithology.
a flock of herons.
the station of a heron at prey.
the shelf or floor of a glassmaking furnace on which the glass pots are set.
Obsolete.
a seat, especially one used by a person of distinction, as a throne.
station as to rank or class.
verb (used with object),sieged,sieg·ing.
to assail or assault; besiege.
Idioms for siege
lay siege to, to besiege: The army laid siege to the city for over a month.
Origin of siege
First recorded in 1175–1225; (noun) Middle English sege, from Old French: “seat,” noun derivative of siegier, from unattested Vulgar Latin sedicāre “to set,” derivative of Latin sedēre “to sit” (see sit1); (verb) Middle English segen, derivative of the noun
synonym study for siege
1. Siege,blockade are terms for prevention of free movement to or from a place during wartime. Siege implies surrounding a city and cutting off its communications, and usually includes direct assaults on its defenses. Blockade is applied more often to naval operations that block all commerce, especially to cut off food and other supplies from defenders.
More than 560 fires have started, from Santa Cruz to Napa to Vacaville, mostly caused by what California officials have described as a “historic lightning siege.”
Photos of California’s fires reveal massive destruction across the state|Danielle Abril|August 21, 2020|Fortune
Even before the pandemic, however, women in Mexico felt under siege.
Mexico’s Other Epidemic: Murdered Women|LGBTQ-Editor|May 30, 2020|No Straight News
Ostia was the scene of fierce fighting between the forces of Gaius Marius and Sulla in the Roman civil war of 87 BC, as the Marian soldiers laid siege to the harbor city and then ultimately plundered it.
Ostia Antica: Reconstruction and History of The Harbor City of Ancient Rome|Dattatreya Mandal|April 14, 2020|Realm of History
The Kurds claimed at least 100 Islamic militants were killed in the two-day battle to lift the siege.
Iraqi Kurds Get Their Groove Back, End Siege of Mount Sinjar|Jamie Dettmer|December 20, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Steve Garth, who works in Circular Quay, was inside the Cartier jewelry store near the café when the siege began.
Jihadi Siege in Sydney Ends in Gunfight|Courtney Subramanian, Lennox Samuels, Chris Allbritton|December 15, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The Siege of Boston marked the opening phase of the American Revolution.
The British Royals Reinvade Brooklyn: William and Kate Come Watch Basketball on Historic Battle Site|Justin Jones|December 6, 2014|DAILY BEAST
In late August, U.S. airpower and Iranian-backed militias broke the ISIS siege on the town of Amerli.
Iran Orders Elite Troops: Lay Off U.S. Forces in Iraq|Eli Lake|October 6, 2014|DAILY BEAST
In Iraq, Tehran was our silent partner, working to break an ISIS siege and edging out Maliki.
How Iran Could Become Our Shadow Enemy in the Syria ISIS War|Jacob Siegel|September 16, 2014|DAILY BEAST
During the siege, the prophet was more than once anxiously consulted by the king as to the issue of the crisis.
The Expositor's Bible: The Prophecies of Jeremiah|C J Ball
The siege of Colchester terminated in a manner no less unfortunate than Hamilton's engagement for the royal cause.
The History of England in Three Volumes, Vol.I., Part E.|David Hume
Under the command of Camillus the army hotly pressed the siege.
Historic Tales, Volume 11 (of 15)|Charles Morris
Charleston, after a forty days' siege, was forced to surrender.
Comic History of the United States|Bill Nye
The story of the siege of Troy and of the great events of Homer's Iliad.
Special Method in Primary Reading and Oral Work with Stories|Charles Alexander McMurry
British Dictionary definitions for siege
siege
/ (siːdʒ) /
noun
the offensive operations carried out to capture a fortified place by surrounding it, severing its communications and supply lines, and deploying weapons against it
(as modifier)siege warfare
a persistent attempt to gain something
a long tedious period, as of illness, etc
obsoletea seat or throne
lay siege toto besiege
verb
(tr)to besiege or assail
Word Origin for siege
C13: from Old French sege a seat, from Vulgar Latin sēdicāre (unattested) to sit down, from Latin sedēre