Siege
noun, verb ·Moderate ·High school level
Definitions
- 1 Military action.; A prolonged military assault or a blockade of a city or fortress with the intent of conquering by force or attrition.
"The Peloponnesian war is a proper subject for history, the siege of Athens for an epic poem, and the death of Alcibiades for a tragedy."
- 2 the action of an armed force that surrounds a fortified place and isolates it while continuing to attack wordnet
- 3 Military action.; A period of struggle or difficulty, especially from illness. US
- 4 Military action.; A prolonged assault or attack. figuratively
"But once again Hodgson's men found a way to get the result they required and there is a real air of respectability about their campaign even though they had to survive a first-half siege from a Ukraine side desperate for the win they needed to progress."
- 5 A seat.; A seat, especially as used by someone of importance or authority. obsolete
"Now Merlyn said kyng Arthur / goo thow and aspye me in al this land l knyghtes whiche ben of most prowesse & worship / within short tyme merlyn had founde suche knyȝtes[…]Thenne the Bisshop of Caunterbury was fette and he blessid the syeges with grete Royalte and deuoycyon / and there sette the viij and xx knyghtes in her syeges"
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- 6 A seat.; An ecclesiastical see. obsolete
- 7 A seat.; The place where one has his seat; a home, residence, domain, empire. obsolete
- 8 A seat.; The seat of a heron while looking out for prey.
- 9 A seat.; A flock of herons.
- 10 A seat.; A toilet seat. obsolete
- 11 A seat.; The anus; the rectum. obsolete
"Another ground were certain holes or cavities observable about the siege; which being perceived in males, made some conceive there might be also a feminine nature in them."
- 12 A seat.; Excrements, stool, fecal matter. obsolete
"Thou art very Trinculo indeed! How cam'st thou / to be the siege of this moon-calf? Can he vent Trinculos?"
- 13 A seat.; Rank; grade; station; estimation. obsolete
"I fetch my life and being / From men of royal siege."
- 14 A seat.; The floor of a glass-furnace. obsolete
- 15 A place with a toilet seat: an outhouse; a lavatory. obsolete
- 1 To assault or blockade a city or fortress with the intent of conquering by force or attrition; to besiege. transitive, uncommon
Example
More examples"There is no way out of the siege except to take the bull by the horns and let God judge the outcome."
Etymology
From Middle English sege, from Old French sege, siege, seige (modern French siège), from Vulgar Latin *sēdicum, from Latin sēdicŭlum, sēdēcula (“small seat”), from Latin sēdēs (“seat”).
Related phrases
More for "siege"
Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.