siege

/siːdʒ/
noun
  1. A military operation in which enemy forces surround a place, cutting off supplies, in order to force those inside to surrender.
    • During the siege, the city's residents ran out of food and water.
    • Historians study the siege of Troy as a famous event from ancient times.
    • The castle withstood a long siege before finally falling to the invaders.
  2. A prolonged period of difficulty, pressure, or attack, especially from illness, criticism, or problems.
    • She endured a siege of bad luck before things finally improved.
    • The team went through a siege of injuries that hurt their season.
    • The company faced a siege of negative reviews after the product recall.
verb
  1. To surround a place with armed forces in order to capture it or force surrender.
    • Rebel forces sieged the capital city, cutting off all roads.
    • The army sieged the fortress for three months.
    • They planned to siege the enemy camp at dawn.