beleaguer
/bɪˈliːɡə
/verb [with object] (usually as adjective beleaguered)
1Lay siege to: he led a relief force to the aid of the beleaguered city...
- Seize them, beleaguer them, and lie in wait for them.
- For every useless mouth in a beleaguered place adds to the difficulties of the defenders and facilitates the task of the besiegers.
- The fateful day dawned, and still the city was beleaguered on every side, while within its walls the Aztecs were dying of famine and plague.
Synonyms
besieged, under siege, blockaded, surrounded, encircled, hemmed in, under attack
1.1Put in a very difficult situation: the board is supporting the beleaguered director...
- But it isn't just the nuts and bolts of touring in support of a new album that can be so beleaguering: sometimes it's the talking about it on the phone with strangers.
- Even a nun from a local convent declined the opportunity to voice support for her beleaguered religious superior.
- Other gifts have been received from far and wide, with heartfelt messages of support for the beleaguered farming community.
Synonyms
hard-pressed, troubled, in difficulties, under pressure, under stress, with one's back to the wall, in a tight corner, in a tight spot
informal up against it
British informal under the cosh
Origin
Late 16th century: from Dutch belegeren 'camp round', from be- '(all) about' + leger 'a camp'.