Words / C1

SEEJ/siːdʒ/

A siege is a military or police operation that surrounds a place to force surrender: under siege, lay siege to. A blockade stops supplies; an attack can be brief; under siege is also used figuratively for intense pressure. Do not call a busy inbox a siege, and do not confuse a locked hall with no fire exit with metaphor.

Meaning

A military or police operation that surrounds a place; also a period of intense pressure.

Examples

• “A week of leaked emails is not a siege; a locked hall with no fire exit is an emergency.”
• “Attack is everyday and shorter. A blockade is about supply. Besiege is the verb. Figurative “under siege” is journalism. A fire-exit failure is a named hazard, not colour writing. Unlock the door; then write the prose.”

Good to know

A surrounding attack; also prolonged pressure. Contrast: a brief attack; a blockade. An inbox spike is not a siege. A locked fire door is an emergency.

Near in meaning

blockade

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