Link Centre Dictionary

seize

UK/ˈsiːz/ US/ˈsɪi̯z/ fairly common uk

verb

1.

take hold of; grab

  • “The salesclerk quickly seized the money on the counter”
  • “She clutched her purse”
  • “The mother seized her child by the arm”
  • “Birds of prey often seize small mammals”
Synonyms
2.

take or capture by force

  • “The terrorists seized the politicians”
  • “The rebels threaten to seize civilian hostages”
3.

take possession of by force, as after an invasion

  • “the invaders seized the land and property of the inhabitants”
  • “The army seized the town”
  • “The militia captured the castle”
Synonyms
4.

take temporary possession of as a security, by legal authority

  • “The FBI seized the drugs”
  • “The customs agents impounded the illegal shipment”
  • “The police confiscated the stolen artwork”
Synonyms
5.

seize and take control without authority and possibly with force; take as one''s right or possession

  • “He assumed to himself the right to fill all positions in the town”
  • “he usurped my rights”
  • “She seized control of the throne after her husband died”
Synonyms
6.

hook by a pull on the line

  • “strike a fish”
7.

affect

  • “Fear seized the prisoners”
  • “The patient was seized with unbearable pains”
  • “He was seized with a dreadful disease”
Synonyms
8.

capture the attention or imagination of

  • “This story will grab you”
  • “The movie seized my imagination”
Synonyms

Origin

Earlier seise, from Middle English seisen, sesen, saisen, from Old French seisir (“to take possession of; invest (person, court)”), from Early Medieval Latin sacīre (“to lay claim to, appropriate”) (8th century) in the phrase ad propriam sacire, from Old Low Frankish *sakjan (“to sue, bring legal action”), from Proto-Germanic *sakjaną, *sakōną (compare Old English sacian (“to strive, brawl”)), from Proto-Germanic *sakaną (compare Old Saxon sakan (“to accuse”), Old High German sahhan (“to bicker, quarrel, rebuke”), Old English sacan (“to quarrel, claim by law, accuse”). Cognate to sake and Latin sāgiō (“to perceive acutely”).

Phrases

  • be seized of
  • be seized with
  • seize on
  • seize out
  • seize the day
  • seize the initiative
  • seize the opportunity
  • seize up

Related words

Word family

Broader terms

Narrower terms

Related verbs

WordNet 2.1 (Princeton University). Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). CMU Pronouncing Dictionary. WordNet 2.1 Copyright Princeton University. All rights reserved. Wiktionary content is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike Licence.