Meaning of seize in English

Table of contents
  1. Pronunciation
  2. Verb
    1. Etymology
    2. Definitions

  1. Pronunciation

    /siz/

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  1. Verb

    seize

    Etymology

    Middle English: from Old French seizir‘give seisin’, from medieval Latin sacire, in the phrase ad proprium sacire‘claim as one's own’, from a Germanic base meaning ‘procedure’

    Definitions

    1. take hold of

    Examples

    • « 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 »

    Derived terms

  2. 2. take or capture by force

    Examples

    • « The terrorists seized the politicians »
    • « The rebels threaten to seize civilian hostages »

    Derived terms

  3. 3. take possession of by force, as after an invasion

    Examples

    • « the invaders seized the land and property of the inhabitants »
    • « The army seized the town »
    • « The militia captured the castle »

    Derived terms

  4. 4. take temporary possession of as a security, by legal authority

    Examples

    • « The FBI seized the drugs »
    • « The customs agents impounded the illegal shipment »
    • « The police confiscated the stolen artwork »

    Derived terms

  5. 5. seize and take control without authority and possibly with force

    Examples

    • « 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 »

    Derived terms

  6. 6. hook by a pull on the line

    Examples

    • « strike a fish »
  7. 7. affect

    Examples

    • « Fear seized the prisoners »
    • « The patient was seized with unberable pains »
    • « He was seized with a dreadful disease »

    Derived terms

  8. 8. capture the attention or imagination of

    Examples

    • « This story will grab you »
    • « The movie seized my imagination »

Famous quotes

  • « Thoughtless risks are destructive, of course, but perhaps even more wasteful is thoughtless caution which prompts inaction and promotes failure to seize opportunity. »
    Gary Ryan Blair
  • « If you must break the law, do it to seize power: in all other cases observe it. »
    Julius Caesar
  • « The courts cannot garnish a father's salary, nor freeze his account, nor seize his property on behalf of his children, in our society. Apparently this is because a kid is not a car or a couch or a boat. »
    June Jordan
  • « Don't wait for extraordinary opportunities. Seize common occasions and make them great. Weak men wait for opportunities strong men make them. »
    Orison Swett Marden
  • « I am concerned about how to reverse the process by which a fundamentalist right and a corporate elite were able to seize power in the United States. »
    Todd Gitlin

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