siege
1 ENTRIES FOUND:
plural
sieges
plural
sieges
Britannica Dictionary definition of SIEGE
1
:
a situation in which soldiers or police officers surround a city, building, etc., in order to try to take control of it
[count]
-
the siege of Paris
-
The castle was built to withstand a siege.
[noncount]
-
The city is in a state of siege.
2
[count]
:
a serious and lasting attack of something
— usually singular
-
He's recovering from a siege of depression.
-
a long siege of bitterly cold temperatures
lay siege to (something or someone)
1
:
to surround (a city, building, etc.) with soldiers or police officers in order to try to take control of it
-
The army laid siege to the city.
2
:
to attack (something or someone) constantly or repeatedly
— usually used figuratively
-
Angry taxpayers laid siege to city hall with letters and phone calls.
under siege
1
:
surrounded with soldiers or police officers in a siege
-
The city was under siege and food was getting scarce.
2
:
very seriously attacked or criticized by many people
-
The newspaper has been under siege lately by its readers for printing a false story.
