Okuzeka
History vocabulary · Wars, Treaties and Diplomacy

Siege

Meaning in history, with examples

/siːdʒ/nounCore term

In history, siege means: A military operation in which an army surrounds a town or fortress, cuts off its supplies and attacks it until the defenders surrender or the attackers give up.

In Turkish: kuşatma, muhasara

How it is used

Armies lay siege to a city; the city is under siege or besieged; a siege is lifted or broken, or the city falls. Famous examples include the sieges of Constantinople (1453) and Vienna (1683). Siege warfare changed greatly with cannon and new fortifications.

Example sentences

  1. The second Ottoman siege of Vienna was lifted in September 1683.

  2. The city held out under siege for almost two months.

Common collocations

  • lay siege to
  • under siege
  • lift the siege
  • siege warfare
  • a long siege
  • conquestThe act of taking control of a country, city or people by military force, or a territory that has been taken in this way.
  • campaignA series of military operations carried out over a period of time in one area or with one main aim, such as capturing a city or defeating an enemy army.
  • allianceA formal agreement between states or groups to support each other, especially in war, or the group of states that make such an agreement.
  • armisticeA formal agreement between warring sides to stop fighting, usually while the terms of a final peace treaty are negotiated.

More terms: Wars, Treaties and Diplomacy

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