Definition

1. Verb:
   • To surround or attack from all sides: To trouble or harass persistently, often in a way that feels overwhelming or inescapable.
   • To decorate or cover lavishly: To adorn or stud something, typically with jewels or ornaments.
   • To be persistently troubled or afflicted by something: To be plagued or burdened by difficulties, worries, or dangers.

Usage Examples

• Verb (to surround/attack):
  • The small village was beset by enemy forces.
  • The climbers were beset by a sudden, fierce storm.
• Verb (to decorate):
  • The crown was beset with diamonds and rubies. (This usage is less common and often literary.)
• Verb (to be troubled by):
  • She was beset by doubts about her decision.
  • The project was beset with technical problems from the start.

Advanced Usage

• "Beset by" vs. "Beset with": Both are commonly used, often interchangeably. "Beset by" can slightly emphasize an active agent (e.g., attackers, feelings), while "beset with" often emphasizes a condition or a collection of problems.
  • He was beset by anxiety.
  • The system is beset with inefficiencies.
• Past Participle as Adjective: The past participle "beset" is frequently used as an adjective to describe a state.
  • The beset travelers finally found shelter.
  • A crisis-beset administration.

Variants and Related Words

• Besetting (adjective): Constantly troubling or harassing. Often used in the phrase "besetting sin," meaning a person's chief weakness or most persistent fault.
  • Procrastination was his besetting vice.

Synonyms

• Assail: To attack violently, either physically or verbally.
• Harass: To torment or trouble by repeated attacks.
• Plague: To cause continual trouble or distress.
• Bedevil: To torment or harass persistently.
• Surround: To enclose on all sides.

Related Phrasal Verbs

(Note: "Beset" itself is not commonly used in phrasal verb constructions. The related concepts are expressed by the synonyms above.)

Related Idioms

• Beset on all sides: To be confronted by problems or enemies from every direction.
  • The new policy was beset on all sides by criticism.

Verb

1. decorate or cover lavishly (as with gems)
2. assail or attack on all sides: "The zebra was beset by leopards"
3. annoy continually or chronically
   • He is known to harry his staff when he is overworked
   • This man harasses his female co-workers