seize W3 /siːz/ BrE AmE verb [transitive]
[ Date: 1200-1300 ; Language: Old French ; Origin: saisir 'to take possession of' , from Medieval Latin sacire ]
1 . to take hold of something suddenly and violently SYN grab :
Suddenly, he seized my hand.
seize something from somebody
Maggie seized the letter from her.
REGISTER
In everyday English, people usually say grab or grab hold of rather than seize :
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She grabbed hold of his hand.
2 . to take control of a place suddenly and quickly, using military force
seize power/control (of something)
The rebels have seized power.
A group of soldiers seized the airport.
3 . if the police or government officers seize something, for example illegal drugs, they take legal possession of it:
160,000 CDs were seized from illegal factories.
All of my assets were seized, including my home.
4 . to suddenly catch someone and make sure they cannot get away:
The gunmen were seized at 1 am.
5 . seize a chance/an opportunity/the initiative to quickly and eagerly do something when you have the chance to
6 . be seized with/by terror/desire etc to suddenly be affected by an extremely strong feeling:
When she saw his face, she was seized by fear.
seize on/upon something phrasal verb
to suddenly become very interested in an idea, excuse, what someone says etc:
His every remark is seized upon by the press.
seize up phrasal verb
a) if an engine or part of a machine seizes up, its moving parts stop working and can no longer move, for example because of lack of oil:
The mechanism had seized up.
b) if a part of your body, such as your back, seizes up, you suddenly cannot move it and it is very painful
• • •
THESAURUS
▪ hold to have something in your hand, hands, or arms:
Maria came in holding a letter.
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Can I hold the baby?
▪ grip to hold something very tightly and not let it go:
He gripped her arm so she couldn’t walk away.
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Jenny gripped the side of the boat to steady herself.
▪ clutch to hold something tightly, especially because you do not want to drop or lose it:
A businessman hurried past, clutching his briefcase.
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The little girl clutched onto his hand.
▪ clasp written to hold someone or something tightly, closing your fingers or arms around them:
She was clasping a bunch of small summer flowers.
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He clasped her in his arms and kissed her.
▪ get/take hold of something to take something in your hand or hands and hold it:
I took hold of the handle and pulled as hard as I could.
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Quickly – try and get hold of that frog!
▪ grasp written to take hold of something firmly, especially in a determined way:
She grasped the lowest branch and pulled herself up into the tree.
▪ grab to take hold of something suddenly and often violently:
He grabbed my bag and ran off with it.
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The other man grabbed hold of (=suddenly took hold of ) my arms and threatened me with a knife.
▪ seize /siːz/ written to take hold of something suddenly and often violently:
A police officer ran after him and seized the gun.
▪ hang on (to something) to hold on to something or someone tightly to support yourself:
He hung on to the rail at the back of the motorbike.
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Hang on tight!
▪ keep hold of something to continue to hold something:
Greg was struggling to keep hold of the dog.
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She tried to take her hand away but he kept hold of it.