verb
invest
To surround a place with armed forces to besiege it.
Enemy troops invest the fortress and cut off its supplies.
Etymology
The source verb means to clothe or cover. The military sense applies the image of an enclosing covering to troops surrounding a place under siege.
More examples
- The general orders two divisions to invest the port.
- With the town fully invested, no reinforcements can enter.
- The army invests the capital but delays its assault.
Forms
invest · invests · invested · investing
Similar words
- besiege
- Emphasizes sustained military pressure intended to force a surrender.
- blockade
- Focuses on blocking movement or supplies rather than surrounding.
- encircle
- Means surrounding something, without necessarily attacking or besieging it.