1. Assail or attack on all sides
   "the ship was beset by pirates";
   - set upon
    
2. Annoy or hinder continually or in many ways
   "the recommendations are beset with environmental hurdles"; "The King was beset by grief";
   - harass, hassle [informal], harry, chivy [Brit], chivvy [Brit], chevy [Brit, archaic], chevvy [non-standard], plague, molest, provoke
    
3. Decorate or cover lavishly (as with gems)
   "The old ship's hull was beset with barnacles";
   - encrust, incrust

Derived forms: beset, besets, besetting

Type of: adorn, annoy, assail, assault, attack, beautify, bother, chafe [archaic], decorate, devil, embellish, fancify, get at [informal], get to, grace, gravel [US], irritate, nark [Brit, slang], nettle, ornament, rag, rile, roil [N. Amer], set on, tick off [informal], vex

Encyclopedia: Beset