See Also: Siege(medicine)
siege(dictionary)
siege(dictionary)
Leningrad, Siege of(encyclopedia)
Mafikeng, Siege of(encyclopedia)
Siege (as used in expressions)(encyclopedia)
Vienna, Siege of(encyclopedia)
Yorktown, Siege of(encyclopedia)
Zara, Siege of(encyclopedia)
Toulon, Siege of(encyclopedia)

siege (oh)



[Date: 1100-1200; Language: Old French; Origin: sege 'seat, siege', from Vulgar Latin sedicum, from Latin sedere 'to sit']
a situation in which an army or the police surround a place and try to gain control of it or force someone to come out of it
::The siege lasted almost four months.
::a three-day police siege at a remote country cottage
siege of
::the siege of Leningrad
end/lift/raise a siege
(=end a siege)
lay siege to sb/sth
a) if the army or police lay siege to a place, they start a siege against it
::In June 1176 King Richard laid siege to Limoges.
b) if you lay siege to someone, you do everything you can to try and get them to talk to you
::Then he set to work laying siege to her with letters.
be under siege
a) to be surrounded by an army in a siege
b) to be being criticized, attacked, or threatened all the time
::The TV station has been under siege from irate viewers phoning in to complain.
siege mentality
the feeling among a group of people that they are surrounded by enemies and must do everything they can to protect themselves