Basic Details
Word: Beset
Part of Speech: Verb
Meaning: To trouble or attack someone or something again and again, so that the problems seem to surround them. It is often used as 'beset by' or 'beset with'.
Synonyms: plague, trouble, harass, afflict
How to Spell Beset
Syllables: be - set
Tricky part: Only one s and one t. The past tense is also beset, so there is no extra t or -ed: problems beset us yesterday too.
Watch out for: besett, besset, biset
Memory tip: Picture a whole set of problems closing in on someone: be + set, short and plain, with nothing doubled.
Usage Examples
Example 1: The expedition was beset by storms on its way up the mountain.
Example 2: Our cricket team has been beset by injuries all season.
Example 3: The small shop was beset with problems after the new mall opened.
Fun Fact
Beset belongs to a small group of verbs whose present tense, past tense and past participle look exactly the same, like set, put, cut and hit.
Practise the CREST Way
Spell-o-Spell
Only one word in the list is spelt correctly. Choose the meaning of that word.
1. maintainance 2. beset 3. rythm 4. enviroment
a) to trouble someone again and again
b) the work of keeping something in good condition
c) a regular repeated pattern of sounds or movements
d) the natural world of land, air and water around us
Show answer
a) to trouble someone again and again. Rhythm has an h after the r and another after the t, environment keeps the n before -ment, and maintenance has no ai after the t, so beset is the answer.
Word Connection
Choose the word closest in meaning to beset as used in the sentence:
From the very first week, the new metro project was beset by delays and rising costs.
a) sheltered
b) spared
c) ignored
d) plagued
Show answer
d) plagued. A project beset by delays is plagued by them; spared would mean the delays never came.
Mingle-Mangle
Unjumble the word in the sentence and choose it:
The young king was tsebe by enemies on every side.
a) beset
b) reset
c) besiege
d) bested
Show answer
a) beset. Besiege fits the idea of enemies all round, but tsebe has only five letters, and they spell beset.
Word Cookie
Find the misspelt word in the sentence:
Throughout the long winter the remote mountain village was besett by heavy snowfall, and supplies reached the families only once a fortnight by mule.
a) supplies
b) besett
c) remote
d) fortnight
Show answer
b) besett. Beset needs just one t at the end, even in the past tense.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. A traveller beset by doubts is ____.
a) troubled by them
b) free of them
c) writing them down
d) laughing at them
Show answer
a) troubled by them
2. Choose the correct form: 'Floods ____ the district last August.'
a) besetted
b) beset
c) besat
d) besetting
Show answer
b) beset
