what does beleaguered mean?

The word beleaguered is defined as follows:

1. (tr. v.) To harass; beset: We are beleaguered by problems.

2. (tr. v.)To surround with troops; besiege: The enemy beleaguered the enclave.

3. (adj.) Experiencing difficulties, opposition or criticismsurrounded by enemies.

ORIGIN:

[Probably Dutch belegeren : be-, around (from Middle Dutch bie; see ambhi in Indo-European roots) + leger, camp; see legh - in Indo-European roots.]

First Known Use: 1587

Synonyms

annoy

bedevil

beset

plague

badger

blockade

bother

persecute

pester

siege

See more synonyms on Thesaurus.com

In the news: President Trump called Attorney General Jeff Sessions "beleaguered" after criticizing him in a recent interview with The New York Times.

"After 1 year of investigation with Zero evidence being found, Chuck Schumer just stated that 'Democrats should blame ourselves, not Russia,'" Trump said in a tweet.

"So why aren't the Committees and investigators, and of course our beleaguered A.G., looking into Crooked Hillarys crimes & Russia relations?" Trump wrote, referring to his Democratic opponent in last year's presidential election, Hillary Clinton. Read more at ABCNews.go.com.

Tags: trumpdonald trumppresident 
Tuesday, July 25 2017
Source: http://www.thefreedictionary.com/beleaguered