Seize

/siːz/ · verb

Meaning

(transitive) To deliberately take hold of; to grab or capture..

Definitions by Sense

1. (transitive) To deliberately take hold of; to grab or capture.
2. (transitive) To take advantage of (an opportunity or circumstance).
3. (transitive) To take possession of (by force, law etc.).
4. (transitive) To have a sudden and powerful effect upon.
5. (transitive, law) Alternative spelling of seise (“to vest ownership of an estate in land”).
6. (transitive, nautical) To bind, lash or make fast, with several turns of small rope, cord, or small line.
7. (transitive, obsolete) To fasten, fix.
8. (intransitive) To lay hold in seizure, by hands or claws (+ on or upon).

Example Sentences

to seize smuggled goods

to seize a ship after libeling

a panic seized the crowd

a fever seized him

This sensation of an object becoming alive is a characteristic that, I believe, seizes all viewers of a van Gogh. The Bible goes beyond being a simple still-life object to become a living thing, an expression of strength, an existence that emanates from itself, beyond the painting surface to participate in our very lives.

to seize two fish-hooks back to back

to seize or stop one rope on to another

to seize on the neck of a horse

Synonyms for seize

Antonyms for seize

Related Words

Word Forms

• seizes
• seizing
• seized

Usage Notes

Choose a synonym only when it preserves the intended meaning, tone, and grammar of the full sentence.

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