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seize - Meaning and Examples

Meaning of 'seize' (Webster Dictionary)

1 . Seize [ v. t.]
- To fall or rush upon suddenly and lay hold of; to gripe or grasp suddenly; to reach and grasp.
- To take possession of by force.
- To invade suddenly; to take sudden hold of; to come upon suddenly; as, a fever seizes a patient.
- To take possession of by virtue of a warrant or other legal authority; as, the sheriff seized the debtor's goods.
- To fasten; to fix.
- To grap with the mind; to comprehend fully and distinctly; as, to seize an idea.
- To bind or fasten together with a lashing of small stuff, as yarn or marline; as, to seize ropes.

Meaning of 'seize' (Princeton's WordNet)

1 . seize [ v]
Meaning (1):
- take hold of; grab
Example in sentence:
  • Birds of prey often seize small mammals;
  • She clutched her purse;
  • The mother seized her child by the arm;
  • The sales clerk quickly seized the money on the counter
Meaning (2):
- affect
Example in sentence:
  • Fear seized the prisoners;
  • He was seized with a dreadful disease;
  • The patient was seized with unbearable pains
Meaning (3):
- seize and take control without authority and possibly with force; take as one's right or possession
Example in sentence:
  • 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
Meaning (4):
- hook by a pull on the line
Example in sentence:
  • strike a fish
Meaning (5):
- take possession of by force, as after an invasion
Example in sentence:
  • The army seized the town;
  • the invaders seized the land and property of the inhabitants;
  • The militia captured the castle
Meaning (6):
- take temporary possession of as a security, by legal authority
Example in sentence:
  • The customs agents impounded the illegal shipment;
  • The FBI seized the drugs;
  • The police confiscated the stolen artwork
Meaning (7):
- capture the attention or imagination of
Example in sentence:
  • The movie seized my imagination;
  • This story will grab you
Meaning (8):
- take or capture by force
Example in sentence:
  • The rebels threaten to seize civilian hostages;
  • The terrorists seized the politicians

Nearby Words:

seiches seid seidlitz seigh seigneurial seignior seigniorage seignioral seignioralty seigniorial

See 'seize' also in:

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Related Definitions

  • Seize
    Seize— To employ combat forces to occupy physically and to control a designated area.

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