beleaguering

Estimated CEFR level: C2 — Proficiency

Estimated from word frequency; not an official CEFR classification.

Definition

noun the action of an armed force that surrounds a fortified place and isolates it while continuing to attack
verb annoy persistently
verb surround so as to force to give up

All this time Gustavus was in constant communication with his generals outside, his messengers making their way by speed or stratagem through the beleaguering Croats, and kept up the spirits of his men by daily reviews and by the cheerful countenance which he always wore. — The Lion of the North: A Tale of the Times of Gustavus Adolphus, G. A. (George Alfred) Henty
This order directed that a detachment of fifty prisoners, selected from officers of the highest rank, should be forwarded to Charleston, in order that they might be placed under the fire of the siege guns with which the beleaguering Union forces were attempting the reduction of that city. — Sword and Pen: Ventures and Adventures of Willard Glazier, John Algernon Owens
The numerous islands rested on the bosom of the Horican, some low and sunken, as if embedded in the waters, and others appearing to hover about the element, in little hillocks of green velvet; among which the fishermen of the beleaguering army peacefully rowed their skiffs, or floated at rest on the glassy mirror in quiet pursuit of their employment. — The Last of the Mohicans; A narrative of 1757, James Fenimore Cooper

siege, besieging, military blockade

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