lay siege to

lay siege to — idiom

1. to send an army to surround a city or building and cut off its supplies, forcing

1.慣用語C1
釋義

to send an army to surround a city or building and cut off its supplies, forcing the people inside to give up.

例句

For three long months the rebel army laid siege to the walled city.

lay siege to + walled place

Roman soldiers laid siege to the fortress until its food ran out.

object is a defended building

同義詞
  • besiege

    single verb, slightly more formal, same military meaning

  • blockade

    focuses on cutting off supplies by sea or road, not surrounding troops

反義詞
  • liberate

    to free a place that was under attack

文法句型

lay siege to + place

用法筆記

Object is almost always a defended place — a city, castle, fort, or town — not a single person.

常見錯誤

❌The army laid siege the city.
✅The army laid siege to the city.
💡the preposition 'to' is required after 'siege'.

2. to chase a goal, person, or prize with great effort over a long time, refusing t

2.慣用語C1
釋義

to chase a goal, person, or prize with great effort over a long time, refusing to give up until you get it.

例句

Reporters laid siege to the singer's hotel, hoping for one quick interview.

lay siege to + person's location

Heloísa laid siege to the scholarship, applying again every year until she won it.

object is a hard-won goal

同義詞
  • pursue

    neutral and common; lacks the sense of long, stubborn effort

  • besiege

    can also mean to overwhelm someone with requests

反義詞
  • abandon

    to stop trying to get something

文法句型

lay siege to + goal/person

用法筆記

Distinguish from sense 1: here there is no real army, and the object can be a goal, a job, or a person being pursued.

常見錯誤

❌She laid siege the new job for months.
✅She laid siege to the new job for months.
💡keep 'to' in the figurative sense as well.