Word of the Day : December 13, 2021
Beleaguer
verb bih-LEE-gur
What It Means
Beleaguer means “to trouble or harass.”
// The coach, beleaguered by the media and fans for his poor decision-making during games, has been fired.
Examples
“Pharmacists, some of whom already are financially beleaguered, say they can’t afford an additional, unexpected hit that takes away as much as 50% of their annual profit.” — Darrel Rowland, The Akron (Ohio) Beacon Journal, 31 Oct. 2021
Did You Know?
Beleaguer comes from the Dutch word belegeren. Leger means “camp” and the prefix be- means “about” or “around.” Belegeren, by definition, is a neutral verb (“to camp around”); however, beleaguer implies trouble. It is also synonymous with besiege.
Aquinas College Library 