noun
siege
seej
noun
1
A prolonged military operation in which an army surrounds a city or fortress to force its surrender.
"The city endured a siege lasting almost a year before it fell."
"The castle was built to withstand a long siege."
2
A prolonged period of difficulty or hardship, especially due to illness or hostile pressure.
"She went through a long siege of ill health that year."
verb
1
To besiege; to surround and blockade.
"The rebels sieged the capital for months."
How to Use Siege
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishA sustained military blockade of a place, or by extension any prolonged ordeal.
Common pairings
under siege
lay siege to
a siege mentality
lift the siege
Word Forms
sieged past tense, sieges plural, sieges singular
Study it as flashcards or scroll it in Flow — saved to your collection.
Test yourself on “siege”
A quick quiz — meaning, synonyms & usage
→
Fill the Gap
Can you complete this real example?
The city endured a _____ lasting almost a year before it fell.
Etymology
From Old French sege/siege ("seat"), ultimately from Latin sēdēs ("seat") — the sense shifted from "a sitting down" to "an army settling in to blockade a place".