siege
n. countablen. a situation where an army or the police surround a place to stop anyone from entering or leaving. This is done to force the people inside to give up or surrender.
n. a military or police operation in which forces surround a town, building, or fortress, cutting off essential supplies to compel the surrender of those inside. Often used metaphorically to describe a period of sustained pressure or harassment.
The army ended the siege after three months.
The castle was under siege for weeks, leaving the inhabitants with very little food or clean water.
Historians argue that the prolonged siege of the city was the decisive turning point of the war, as it exhausted the enemy's remaining strategic reserves and morale.
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”).
Commonly used with the verbs 'lay', 'lift', or 'break', and the prepositional phrase 'under siege'.