seize
verb
Simple meaning
To take control of something quickly or by force.
Pronunciation
Say it like this:
seezIPA pronunciation (US)
ˈsiz
This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.
IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.
Definition
Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.
verb
Take possession of by force, as after an invasion
“The invaders seized the land and property of the inhabitants.”
Seize and take control without authority and possibly with force; take as one's right or possession
transitive
To take advantage of (an opportunity or circumstance).
Take temporary possession of as a security, by legal authority
Take or capture by force
transitive
To deliberately take hold of; to grab or capture.
“The sales clerk quickly seized the money on the counter.”
Word at a Glance
- Difficulty
- C1 · Advanced
- Frequency
- Moderately Common
- Typical Use
- Neutral / general English
Word Aura™
How this word commonly comes across.
Aura for this meaning
This meaning: Take possession of by force, as after an invasion
Used this way, seize is a common word that usually carries little praise or criticism of its own. It usually sounds natural in a wide range of settings.
“The invaders seized the land and property of the inhabitants.”
- Emotional tone
- Neutral
- Formality
- Neutral
- Intensity
- Not strongly marked
- How common
- Common
- Connotation
- No strong connotation
- Usage feel
- Neutral and straightforward
Nearby words
- sequester , a specialist term, precise but narrower
- impound , a specialist term, precise but narrower
Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.
More ways to use seize
- “The sales clerk quickly seized the money on the counter.”verb
- “The invaders seized the land and property of the inhabitants.”verb
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Common Patterns and Combinations
How this word naturally appears with others.
Word Family
Related forms, grouped by how they connect.
Inflected forms
Grammatical variations of the same word.
Small stuff that is used for lashing two or more ropes together.
Compound terms
Established multiword terms.
Adopt.
To grip, cut off, or tear with or as if with the teeth or jaws.
Related Words
Connected to the same idea, not synonyms.
More about this wordSynonyms, forms, origin
Synonyms
Sense: take possession of by force
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Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.