siege: Meaning and Definition of

siege

Pronunciation: (sēj), [key]
— n., v., sieged, sieg•ing.
—n.
  1. the act or process of surrounding and attacking a fortified place in such a way as to isolate it from help and supplies, for the purpose of lessening the resistance of the defenders and thereby making capture possible.
  2. any prolonged or persistent effort to overcome resistance.
  3. a series of illnesses, troubles, or annoyances besetting a person or group: a siege of head colds.
  4. a prolonged period of trouble or annoyance.
    1. a flock of herons.
    2. the station of a heron at prey.
  5. the shelf or floor of a glassmaking furnace on which the glass pots are set.
    1. a seat, esp. one used by a person of distinction, as a throne.
    2. station as to rank or class.
  6. to besiege: The army laid siege to the city for over a month.
—v.t.
  1. to assail or assault; besiege.
Random House Unabridged Dictionary, Copyright © 1997, by Random House, Inc., on Infoplease.
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