BESET', verb transitive preterit tense and participle passive beset 1. To surround; to inclose; to hem in; to besiege; as, we are beset with enemies; a city is beset with troops. Hence, 2. To press on all sides, so as to perplex; to entangle, so as to render escape difficult or impossible. Adam sore beset replied. 3. To waylay. 4. To fall upon.
Source: Webster's 1828 American Dictionary ↗ · public-domain · returned verbatim, no AI