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
Maureen O'Hare, CNN Money, 25 Oct. 2025
Part of their reluctance has stemmed in part from Mamdani's sharp criticism of Israel and its siege of Gaza, which Mamdani has called a genocide.
—Eduardo Cuevas, USA Today, 24 Oct. 2025
Matt Robison, Newsweek, 21 Nov. 2024
Police then began negotiations with other people in the home before authorities eventually sieged the house with armored vehicles.
—Christopher Cann, USA TODAY, 1 May 2024
See All Example Sentences for siege
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Noun
Ghosts from the conflict between Union and Confederate forces are said to haunt McRaven House, an antebellum home in Vicksburg, Mississippi, which was once the scene of a grisly 43-day siege.
—Maureen O'Hare, CNN Money, 25 Oct. 2025
Part of their reluctance has stemmed in part from Mamdani's sharp criticism of Israel and its siege of Gaza, which Mamdani has called a genocide.
—Eduardo Cuevas, USA Today, 24 Oct. 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
Police then began negotiations with other people in the home before authorities eventually sieged the house with armored vehicles.
—Christopher Cann, USA TODAY, 1 May 2024
See All Example Sentences for siege
Cite this Entry
“Siege.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/siege. Accessed 30 Oct. 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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