beleaguered

What it means

1. Besieged; surrounded by enemy troops.

   a beleaguered town

   2 more examples

   a beleaguered stronghold

   4,500 British and Indian troops and twelve thousand camp-followers, including some three dozen British wives, children and nannies, found themselves beleaguered in what Kaye described as little better than ‘sheep-folds on the plain’.

   1990, Peter Hopkirk, The Great Game, Folio Society, published 2010, page 220

2. figurativelyBeset by trouble or difficulty.

   a beleaguered ego

   5 more examples

   a beleaguered identity

   a beleaguered real estate market

   Chelsea were coping comfortably as Liverpool left Luis Suarez too isolated. Steven Gerrard was also being forced to drop too deep to offer support to the beleaguered Jay Spearing and Jordan Henderson rather than add attacking potency alongside the Uruguayan.

   2012 May 5, Phil McNulty, “Chelsea 2-1 Liverpool”, in BBC Sport, archived from the original on 27 Mar 2019

   Ministers have not ruled out stripping the beleaguered operator of its franchise when it comes up for renewal on October 16.

   2022 September 21, Mel Holley, “Network News: MPs debate Avanti West Coast future as MD departs”, in RAIL, number 966, page 15, photo caption

   The beleaguered prime minister will attempt to shore up her crumbling support by gathering her cabinet ministers at No 10 on Monday evening and then embarking on a series of meetings with mutinous Tory MPs before the next budget in a fortnight’s time.

   2022 October 16, Pippa Crerar, “Liz Truss fights for survival as even allies say she could have only days left”, in The Guardian, archived from the original on 19 Nov 2022

In a sentence

a beleaguered stronghold

Where it comes from

From beleaguer + -ed.