siege

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siege /s'iːdʒ/ (sieges)
1 [N-COUNT] also under N
A siege is a military or police operation in which soldiers or police surround a place in order to force the people there to come out or give up control of the place.
We must do everything possible to lift the siege...
The journalists found a city virtually under siege.
see also state of siege
2 [PHRASE] V inflects, usu PHR to n
If police, soldiers, or journalists lay siege to a place, they surround it in order to force the people there to come out or give up control of the place.
The rebels laid siege to the governor's residence...siege men|tal|ity
[N-SING] also no det
If a group of people have a siege mentality, they think that other people are constantly trying to harm or defeat them, and so they care only about protecting themselves.
Police officers had a siege mentality that isolated them from the people they served.state of siege
[N-SING]
A state of siege is a situation in which a government or other authority puts restrictions on the movement of people into or out of a country, town, or building.
Under the state of siege, the police could arrest suspects without charges or warrants.

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