 |
| Date: | 1200-1300 |
| Language: | Old French |
| Origin: | saisir 'to take possession of', from Medieval Latin sacire |
| |||||||||
seize W3
[transitive]
[transitive]1 to take hold of something suddenly and violently [= grab]: 
Suddenly he seized my hand.
Suddenly he seized my hand.2 to take control of a place suddenly and quickly, using military force A group of soldiers seized the airport.
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.
160,000 CDs were seized from illegal factories.4 to suddenly catch someone and make sure they cannot get away : The gunmen were seized at 1 a.m.
The gunmen were seized at 1 a.m.5 to quickly and eagerly do something when you have the chance to
seize a chance/an opportunity/the initiative
6 to suddenly be affected by an extremely strong feeling : When she saw his face, she was seized by fear.
be seized with/by terror/desire etc
When she saw his face, she was seized by fear.seize on/upon something
phrasal verbHis every remark is seized upon by the press.seize up
phrasal verba) 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.
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
