beset

[bih-set] / bɪˈsɛt /

VERB

plague; hem in

Synonyms

STRONGEST

bedevil beleaguer besiege embarrass invade overrun perplex surround

STRONG

aggress assail attack badger bug circle compass dog encircle enclose encompass entangle environ girdle harass harry hassle infest nag nudge pester ride ring storm strike

WEAK

drive up the wall fall on fall upon give a bad time give a hard time give one the business give the needle jump on one's case pick on put the squeeze on start in on

Antonyms

STRONGEST

clarify clear up explain leave alone please surrender

STRONG

aid assist exclude free help let go lose release support unloose

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

It describes a camp repeatedly beset by floods — including a major one in 1932 — and a family who wouldn’t acknowledge the danger.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 18, 2026

Lauren Halsey walks by in her distinctive white shirt, long shorts and ball cap, beset on all sides by friends and admirers.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 17, 2026

This country is tiled with adrift twentysomething males, beset with incoherent politics, whose opinion about any issue is generated in the 10 seconds after they’ve been asked the question.

From Slate • Apr. 13, 2026

World champion Norris has been beset by reliability problems this weekend, losing much of second practice to a hydraulic failure and half of final practice with another battery failure.

From BBC • Mar. 28, 2026

“I have been beset of late by troubling dreams. I worry about you when you are gone.”

From "The Girl Who Drank the Moon" by Kelly Barnhill

Vocabulary lists containing beset

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"Still I Rise" by Maya Angelou

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Beowulf vocabulary

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