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Prepositions after verbs

besiege by, on, with, for or from?

Besiege usually takes a direct object without a preposition. Other prepositions may appear in passive or descriptive structures.

Quick answer

How do you use besiege?

Use besiege directly before the place or person under attack or pressure. In passive sentences, by introduces the attackers. Besiege with can describe the means or type of pressure.

The army besieged the city for months.
The town was besieged by enemy forces.
Reporters besieged the actor with questions.

Choose the pattern by meaning

These forms are not interchangeable. Choose the construction by meaning, not by which preposition appears most often.

1
besiege + place/person

Attacking or surrounding

Besiege usually takes a direct object with no preposition.

The rebels besieged the fortress.
Fans besieged the singer outside the hotel.
2
besieged by + group

Passive military or figurative use

By introduces the attacking or pressuring group in passive sentences.

The castle was besieged by enemy troops.
The office was besieged by angry customers.
3
besiege with + thing

Overwhelming with something

With introduces the thing used to overwhelm or pressure someone.

Journalists besieged him with questions.
The company was besieged with complaints.
4
besiege for + reason

Stating a goal or demand

For can introduce the reason behind pressure in wider sentence structures.

Protesters besieged the office for answers.
Customers besieged support lines for refunds.

See the difference in context

The same subject can take different constructions because each sentence answers a different question.

Construction
Example
Meaning
besiege by
The city was besieged by soldiers.
standard passive pattern
besiege with
She was besieged with requests.
overwhelmed by something
besiege on
The army attacked on several fronts.
on is not a normal preposition directly after besiege
besiege from
The town was attacked from the north.
from describes direction separately, not a fixed pattern with besiege

Common mistakes

Some combinations appear in real text but do not mean what learners often assume.

Adding an unnecessary preposition

Besiege normally takes a direct object without a preposition.

✕ They besieged on the city. ✓ They besieged the city.

Using from as a fixed partner

From can describe direction, but it does not directly follow besiege as a standard pattern.

✕ The troops besieged from the castle. ✓ The troops besieged the castle from nearby hills.

Quick practice

Choose the expression that matches the intended meaning.

1. The army besieged ___ fortress.
2. The village was besieged ___ enemy forces.
3. Reporters besieged the athlete ___ questions.

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Frequently asked questions

Does besiege always refer to war?

No. It is also used figuratively for heavy pressure or large numbers of requests.

Can besiege be followed directly by a person?

Yes. People can be besieged by requests, reporters, or supporters.

Is besiege on correct?

No. On is not a standard preposition directly following besiege.

back-by-away-out-in, up backfire on, in, as, at or with? backtrack on, to, in, after or by? "baffle by" or "baffle as"? "bake in" or "bake for"? balance by, in, on, with or between? ban from, in, for, by or on? "bang on" or "bang for"? "banish from" or "banish to"? baptize in, by, into, with or on? "bargain for" or "bargain with"? "bark at" or "bark in"?

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