1
a
: a military blockade of a city or fortified place to compel it to surrender
b
: a persistent or serious attack (as of illness)
2
obsolete
: a seat of distinction : throne
sieged; sieging
Examples of siege in a Sentence
Noun
The castle was built to withstand a siege.
The city is in a state of siege.
Recent Examples on the Web
Doreen St. Félix, New Yorker, 17 May 2025
In 1866, a white mob laid siege to those attempting to amend the state’s constitution to enfranchise Black voters, in what became known as the Mechanics Institute Massacre.
—Chelsea Stieber, The Conversation, 14 May 2025
Matt Robison, Newsweek, 21 Nov. 2024
Tensions in Bangladesh have reignited as student protesters sieged the presidential palace Tuesday evening, calling for the resignation of President Mohammed Shahabuddin.
—Glenn Taylor, Sourcing Journal, 3 Sep. 2019
See All Example Sentences for siege
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Noun
With the help of officers from the New York Police Department, Columbia laid a brutal siege on its own student body: more than seven hundred arrested, more than one hundred injured.
—Doreen St. Félix, New Yorker, 17 May 2025
In 1866, a white mob laid siege to those attempting to amend the state’s constitution to enfranchise Black voters, in what became known as the Mechanics Institute Massacre.
—Chelsea Stieber, The Conversation, 14 May 2025
Verb
Moreover, the Geneva Conventions themselves do not require a sieging party to allow in aid when it will be commandeered by the enemy or provide a military advantage, both of which are indisputably the case with Hamas in Gaza.
—Matt Robison, Newsweek, 21 Nov. 2024
Tensions in Bangladesh have reignited as student protesters sieged the presidential palace Tuesday evening, calling for the resignation of President Mohammed Shahabuddin.
—Glenn Taylor, Sourcing Journal, 3 Sep. 2019
See All Example Sentences for siege
Cite this Entry
“Siege.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/siege. Accessed 21 May. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
siege
noun1
: the placing of an army around a fortified place or city to force it to surrender
2
: a lasting attack (as of illness)
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