Word
siege
US/ˈsidʒ/
UK/sˈiːdʒ/
Definitions
01military blockade
B2 · Upper Intermediate Countable noun
n. a military operation where an army surrounds a place to stop supplies from getting in and force a surrender.
n. a military operation involving the surrounding and blockading of a fortified place to compel its surrender through attrition or assault.
日本語:包囲※
“The city was under siege for three months before the food finally ran out.”
“The medieval fortress withstood a brutal six-month siege, only surrendering when the internal water supply was contaminated by the attackers.”
Usage
Commonly used with the prepositions 'under' or 'lay'.
Synonyms
Antonyms
02to surround and attack
C2 · Proficiency Literary
v. to surround a place with an army in order to capture it.
v. to subject a place or entity to a siege; more commonly expressed by the derivative 'besiege'.
“The enemy forces moved to siege the capital before winter arrived.”
“The rebel commanders planned to siege the coastal garrison, hoping to cut off the loyalist escape route to the sea.”
Usage
The verb form is less common than the noun; 'besiege' is the standard modern verb choice.
Synonyms
Real-World Examples
“As the siege wore on, Edward I set his engineers and carpenters to work on the largest trebuchet anyone in the world had ever seen.” “In 1775, American ground forces laid siege to the British Army in Boston.” 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”).
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Related words
Domain
- Exam level
- CambridgeCambridgeCambridge English QualificationsThe exam suite from Cambridge University Press & Assessment, from A1 Movers up to C2 Proficiency. The benchmark names double as CEFR labels.B2 FirstIELTSIELTSInternational English Language Testing SystemThe 0–9 band test co-owned by the British Council, IDP, and Cambridge. Used for university entry, work, and migration.5.5–6.5TOEFL iBTTOEFL iBTTest of English as a Foreign Language, Internet-Based TestETS's academic English test, the standard route for US university admissions. Scored 0–120, with a 1–6 scale since 2026.1–6 scale: 4.0–4.572–94TOEICTOEICTest of English for International CommunicationETS's workplace English test, big in Japan and Korea. Listening & Reading scores 10–990 and tops out at C1.785–944
- Frequency
- Frequent
- Level
- B2 · Upper Intermediate
- Updated
- アルファベット
- 読み方の一覧 →
QR code
englishreference.com/q/siege
※ 機械で選んだ訳語です。ネイティブスピーカーによる確認はまだです。
「日本語」 data: JMdict (EDRDG), CC BY-SA 4.0