siege

siege [si:dʒ] n [U and C]

[Date: 1100-1200; : Old French; Origin: sege 'seat, siege', from Vulgar Latin sedicum, from Latin sedere 'to sit']

1.) 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)

2.) 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.

3.) 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.

4.) siege mentality

the feeling among a group of people that they are surrounded by enemies and must do everything they can to protect themselves