seize

(sēz)

v., seized, seiz·ing, seiz·es.

v.tr.

1. To grasp suddenly and forcibly; take or grab: seize a sword.
2. 1. To grasp with the mind; apprehend: seize an idea and develop it to the fullest extent.
   2. To possess oneself of (something): seize an opportunity.
3. 1. To have a sudden overwhelming effect on: a heinous crime that seized the minds and emotions of the populace.
   2. To overwhelm physically: a person who was seized with a terminal disease.
4. To take into custody; capture.
5. To take quick and forcible possession of; confiscate: seize a cache of illegal drugs.
6. also seise (sēz)
   1. To put (one) into possession of something.
   2. To vest ownership of a feudal property in.
7. Nautical. To bind (a rope) to another, or to a spar, with turns of small line.

v.intr.

1. To lay sudden or forcible hold of.
2. 1. To cohere or fuse with another part as a result of high pressure or temperature and restrict or prevent further motion or flow.
   2. To come to a halt: The talks seized up and were rescheduled.
3. To exhibit symptoms of seizure activity, usually with convulsions.

[Middle English seisen, from Old French seisir, to take possession, of Germanic origin.]

seizable seiz'a·ble adj.
seizer seiz'er n.

View more History, Politics, Society videos

A word applied culinarily to melted chocolate that becomes a thick, lumpy mass. Seizing occurs when a minute amount of liquid or steam comes in contact with melted chocolate, in which case the chocolate clumps and hardens. To correct seized chocolate, add a small amount (no more than 1 tablespoon per 6 ounces of chocolate) of clarified butter, cocoa butter or vegetable oil into the chocolate, stirring until once again smooth. Be aware that the added fat may affect the texture of the final product. See also chocolate.

verb

1. To take firmly with the hand and maintain a hold on: clasp, clench, clutch¹, grab, grapple, grasp, grip. See keep/release.
2. To get hold of (something moving): catch, clutch¹, grab, snatch. Informal nab. Idioms: lay hands on. See get/lose.
3. To lay claim to for oneself or as one's right: appropriate, arrogate, assume, commandeer, preempt, take, usurp. See give/take/reciprocity.
4. To have a sudden overwhelming effect on: catch, strike, take. See attack/defend, over/under.
5. To take into custody as a prisoner: apprehend, arrest. Informal nab, pick up. Slang bust, collar, pinch, run in. See law.
6. To take quick and forcible possession of: commandeer, confiscate, expropriate, grab, snatch. Idioms: help oneself to. See give/take/reciprocity.

v

Definition: abduct; take by force
Antonyms: free, liberate, release

v

Definition: grab, take
Antonyms: give, let go, offer, release, relinquish

v. 1. capture (a place) using force: army rebels seized an air force base.

2. assume (power or control) by force: the current president seized power in a coup.

See the Introduction, Abbreviations and Pronunciation for further details.

(DOD) To employ combat forces to occupy physically and to control a designated area. See also combat forces.

IN BRIEF: To take by force, grab.

Seize from every moment its unique novelty, and do not prepare your joys. — Andre Gide (1869-1951), French writer.

Tutor's tip: The "seas" (more than one sea) will never "cease" (to stop) their tidal activity. One who "sees" (3d person singular, present tense of to see) clearly will know that she can "seize" a moment, but cannot stop the tide.

LearnThatWord.com is a free vocabulary and spelling program where you only pay for results!

An equipment failure in which moving parts stick or jam because of friction, pressure, or excessive temperature.

---

For a list of words related to seize, see:

• Violent Actions - seize: grasp forcefully, confiscate; nab; nail

---

See words rhyming with "seise."

  See crossword solutions for the clue Seize.

This entry is from Wikipedia, the leading user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer)

Common misspelling(s) of seize

• sieze

Dansk (Danish)
v. tr. - gribe, pågribe, fatte, forstå, bemægtige sig, konfiskere, beslaglægge
v. intr. - brænde sammen

idioms:

• seize on    gribe ivrigt
• seize the day    nyde dagen
• seize up    brænde sammen

Nederlands (Dutch)
grijpen, aanvatten, buitmaken, in beslag nemen, bevangen, klemmen, vast maken, overweldigen, aanvallen (medisch)

Français (French)
v. tr. - (lit, fig) saisir, (Mil, Pol) s'emparer de, (Jur) saisir (une propriété), appréhender (qn)
v. intr. - se gripper (un moteur)

idioms:

• seize on    sauter sur
• seize the day    saisir l'occasion
• seize up    se gripper, se bloquer
• seize upon    sauter sur

Deutsch (German)
v. - ergreifen, kapern, einnehmen, erbeuten, beschlagnahmen, an sich reißen

idioms:

• seize on    aufgreifen
• seize the day    den Tag nutzen
• seize up    sich festfressen
• seize upon    sich zunutze machen

Ελληνική (Greek)
v. - αρπάζω, συλλαμβάνω, αδράχνω, τσακώνω, (κατα)κυριεύω, σφηνώνω/-ομαι, μαγκώνω, φρακάρω, κάνω κατάσχεση

idioms:

• seize on    αρπάζω (ευκαιρία)
• seize the day    απόλαυσε τη στιγμή
• seize up    κολλάω, μαγκώνω, φρακάρω

Italiano (Italian)
afferrare, catturare, sequestrare, impadronirsi

idioms:

• seize on    prendersi
• seize up    arenarsi, incepparsi

Português (Portuguese)
v. - agarrar

idioms:

• seize on    apoderar-se de
• seize up    gripar

Русский (Russian)
хватать, поймать, захватывать, конфисковать, понимать, обуять, вводить во владение

idioms:

• seize on    воспользоваться
• seize up    застревать

Español (Spanish)
v. tr. - coger, agarrar, asir, detener, arrestar, confiscar, embargar, incautarse de, secuestrar, apoderarse, apropiarse, fascinar, impresionar, comprender bien, aprovechar
v. intr. - agarrarse, atascarse, trabarse

idioms:

• seize on    valerse de, echar mano de
• seize the day    no dejar para mañana, hacer las cosas a tiempo
• seize up    atascarse, agarrotarse, atorarse
• seize upon    apoderarse de, coger, agarrar

Svenska (Swedish)
v. - gripa, fatta, ta tag i, ta fast, fånga in, rycka tag i, förstå, begripa, ta i beslag, sätta sig i besittning av

中文（简体）(Chinese (Simplified))
抓住, 夺取, 捉住, 攻占, 利用, 卡住, 咬住

idioms:

• seize on    把握
• seize the day    利用好机会
• seize up    失灵

中文（繁體）(Chinese (Traditional))
v. tr. - 抓住, 奪取, 捉住, 攻佔
v. intr. - 抓住, 捉住, 利用, 奪取, 卡住, 咬住

idioms:

• seize on    把握
• seize the day    利用好機會
• seize up    失靈

한국어 (Korean)
v. tr. - 붙잡다, (기회 따위를) 포착하다, (우격 다짐으로) 빼앗다
v. intr. - 꽉 쥐다, (공포, 병 등이) 덮치다, (과열, 과압으로) 기계가 움직이지 않게 되다

idioms:

• seize on    ~을 움켜쥐다
• seize up    (기계의) 고장, 막다름, 벽에 부딪힘

日本語 (Japanese)
v. - ぐいとつかむ, 逮捕する, つかむ, 所有させる, くくり合わせる, 強奪する, 急に襲う, 捕らえる, 講ずる, 動かなくなる, 行き詰まる, 理解する, 差し押さえる

idioms:

• seize on    つかむとらえる
• seize the day    好機をつかむ
• seize up    動かなくなる

العربيه (Arabic)
‏(فعل) يفهم فهما تاما, يضع يده, يستولي‏

עברית (Hebrew)
v. tr. - ‮תפס, השתלט על, אחז, החזיק, עיקל, תקף, הבין במהירות‬
v. intr. - ‮התקשח, "נתפס" (אבר בגוף), נתקע מרוב חום או חיכוך (חלק במכונה)‬

If you are unable to view some languages clearly, click here.

To select your translation preferences click here.