besieged

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Explanation of the Word "Besieged"

Definition:
The word "besieged" is an adjective that describes a place that is surrounded by enemies or forces that want to take control of it. Imagine a town that is cut off from help and surrounded on all sides by people who want to attack it.

Advanced Usage

In more advanced contexts, "besieged" can also relate to feelings of pressure or being overwhelmed, not just in a military or physical sense. You might say someone is besieged by questions or demands when they are feeling stressed or overwhelmed by too many requests.

Word Variants

• Besiege (verb): To surround a place with armed forces in order to capture it.
  • Example: "The army plans to besiege the fort."
• Siege (noun): A military operation where forces surround a place to isolate it.
  • Example: "The siege lasted for several months."

Different Meanings

• Besieged (figurative): Feeling overwhelmed or attacked by a lot of things at once.
  • Example: "She felt besieged by her workload and deadlines."

Synonyms

• Surrounded
• Blockaded
• Trapped (in a figurative sense)

Idioms and Phrasal Verbs

• Under siege: This idiom means being attacked or criticized continuously, often used in a figurative sense.

  • Example: "The company was under siege after the product recall."

• Lay siege to: This phrase means to attack or criticize someone or something persistently.

  • Example: "The critics laid siege to the movie for its poor storyline."

Summary

The word "besieged" can describe a place that is surrounded by enemies or a person who feels overwhelmed by challenges.

Academic

Adjective

1. surrounded by hostile forces
   • the besieged town