lay siege to

lay siege to

To surround and attack a place (often a city or building) with armed troops. A: "The army has laid siege to our town!" B: "I knew we should have evacuated sooner!"See also: lay, siege

lay ˈsiege to something

surround a building, especially in order to speak to or question the person or people living or working there: The press and paparazzi laid siege to the star’s London flat in the hope of getting a photograph of her.A siege is a military operation in which an army tries to capture a town by surrounding it and stopping the supply of food, etc. to the people inside.See also: lay, siege, something