Phrase guide

state of siege

noun · 1 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

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1

noun

Meaning 1

An exceptional legal condition in which constitutional limits on the powers of the government are suspended, usually owing to military necessity and implying martial law.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Topics: law

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

Calque of French état de siège, first codified in a 1791 law of the Constituent Assembly during the French Revolution as an aggravated condition of war justifying the subordination of the civilian government to military authorities. Extended to apply to internal rebellion by a French law of 1797; subsequently broadened again in 1849 to denote any political state of emergency.

Across languages

Translations

24 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Afrikaans: staat van beleg — military state of emergency
  • Afrikaans: krygswet — military state of emergency
  • Basque: setio-egoera — military state of emergency
  • Catalan: estat de setge — military state of emergency
  • Dutch: staat van beleg — military state of emergency
  • Dutch: krijgswet — military state of emergency
  • Estonian: piiramisseisukord — military state of emergency
  • Finnish: sotatila — military state of emergency
  • Finnish: poikkeustila — military state of emergency
  • French: état de siège — military state of emergency
  • Galician: estado de sitio — military state of emergency
  • German: Belagerungszustand — military state of emergency
  • Greek: κατάσταση πολιορκίας (katástasi poliorkías) — military state of emergency
  • Hungarian: ostromállapot — military state of emergency
  • Italian: stato d'assedio — military state of emergency
  • Norwegian: beleiringstilstand — military state of emergency
  • Polish: stan oblężenia — military state of emergency
  • Polish: stan wyjątkowy — military state of emergency
  • Portuguese: estado de sítio — military state of emergency
  • Romanian: stare de asediu — military state of emergency
  • Russian: оса́дное положе́ние (osádnoje položénije) — military state of emergency
  • Spanish: estado de sitio — military state of emergency
  • Swedish: belägringstillstånd — military state of emergency
  • Turkish: savaş hali — military state of emergency