seize

seize
seize
W3 [si:z] v [T]
[Date: 1200-1300; : Old French; Origin: saisir 'to take possession of', from Medieval Latin sacire]
1.) to take hold of something suddenly and violently
= ↑grab
▪ Suddenly he seized my hand.
seize sth from sb
▪ Maggie seized the letter from her.
2.) to take control of a place suddenly and quickly, using military force
seize power/control (of sth)
▪ 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 a.m.
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 [seize on/upon sth] phr v
to suddenly become very interested in an idea, excuse, what someone says etc
▪ His every remark is seized upon by the press.
seize up phr v
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

Dictionary of contemporary English. 2013.

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Synonyms:
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Look at other dictionaries:

  • seize — seize …   Dictionnaire des rimes

  • seize — [ sɛz ] adj. numér. inv. et n. m. inv. • 1250; seze XIIe; lat. sedecim, de sex « six » et decem « dix » I ♦ Adj. numér. card. Nombre entier naturel équivalant à dix plus six (16; XVI). 1 ♦ Avec l art. défini, désignant un groupe déterminé de… …   Encyclopédie Universelle

  • Seize — Жанр Рок, Electronic, electro industrial, Synthpop Годы С 1997 …   Википедия

  • seize — [siːz] verb [transitive] 1. LAW if the police or another official authority seize goods or property, they take them because they are illegal or because the owner has not paid a debt: • South Korean authorities seized 186,000 fake products in 1999 …   Financial and business terms

  • seize — [ siz ] verb transitive ** 1. ) to take something using official power and force: CONFISCATE: Customs officials have seized 100 pounds of cocaine. Action was taken to seize criminal assets valued at $200 million. a ) to take control of a place or …   Usage of the words and phrases in modern English

  • Seize — Seize, v. t. [imp. & p. p. {Seized}; p. pr. & vb. n. {Seizing}.] [OE. seisen, saisen, OF. seisir, saisir, F. saisir, of Teutonic origin, and akin to E. set. The meaning is properly, to set, put, place, hence, to put in possession of. See {Set}, v …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • seize — SEIZE. adj. numeral de tout genre. Nombre contenant dix & six. Les seize quartiers de la ville de Paris. nous estions seize à table. il n a pas encore seize ans. On dit aussi, En termes de Blason, Les seize quartiers. Voy QUARTIER. Il se met… …   Dictionnaire de l'Académie française

  • seize — vt seized, seiz·ing 1 or seise: to put in possession of property or vest with the right of possession or succession stand seized of land 2: to take possession or custody of (property) esp. by lawful authority seize drugs as evidence …   Law dictionary

  • seize — [sēz] vt. seized, seizing [ME saisen < OFr saisir < ML sacire, prob. < Frank * sakjan, to lay claim to one s rights < IE base * sāg > SAKE1] 1. a) Historical to put in legal possession of a feudal holding b) to put in legal… …   English World dictionary

  • seize up — To jam, seize, become immovable or stuck • • • Main Entry: ↑seize …   Useful english dictionary

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