Seize

3 definitions found

From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:

  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. t.]
     1. To fall or rush upon suddenly and lay hold of; to gripe or


        grasp suddenly; to reach and grasp.
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              For by no means the high bank he could seize.
                                                    --Spenser.
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              Seek you to seize and gripe into your hands
              The royalties and rights of banished Hereford?
                                                    --Shak.
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     2. To take possession of by force.
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              At last they seize
              The scepter, and regard not David's sons. --Milton.
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     3. To invade suddenly; to take sudden hold of; to come upon
        suddenly; as, a fever seizes a patient.
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              Hope and deubt alternate seize her seul. --Pope.
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     4. (law) To take possession of by virtue of a warrant or
        other legal authority; as, the sheriff seized the debtor's
        goods.
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     5. To fasten; to fix. [Obs.]
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              As when a bear hath seized her cruel claws
              Upon the carcass of some beast too weak. --Spenser.
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     6. To grap with the mind; to comprehend fully and distinctly;
        as, to seize an idea.
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     7. (Naut.) To bind or fasten together with a lashing of small
        stuff, as yarn or marline; as, to seize ropes.
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     Note: This word, by writers on law, is commonly written
           seise, in the phrase to be seised of (an estate), as
           also, in composition, disseise, disseisin.
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     {To be seized of}, to have possession, or right of
        possession; as, A B was seized and possessed of the manor
        of Dale. "Whom age might see seized of what youth made
        prize." --Chapman.
  
     {To seize on} or {To seize upon}, to fall on and grasp; to
        take hold on; to take possession of suddenly and forcibly.
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     Syn: To catch; grasp; clutch; snatch; apprehend; arrest;
          take; capture.
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From WordNet (r) 2.0 [wn]:

  seize
       v 1: take hold of; grab; "The salesclerk quickly seized the money
            on the counter"; "She clutched her purse"; "The mother
            seized her child by the arm"; "Birds of prey often seize
            small mammals" [syn: {prehend}, {clutch}]
       2: take or capture by force; "The terrorists seized the
          politicians"; "The rebels threaten to seize civilian
          hostages"
       3: take possession of by force, as after an invasion; "the
          invaders seized the land and property of the inhabitants";
          "The army seized the town"; "The militia captured the
          castle" [syn: {appropriate}, {capture}, {conquer}]
       4: take temporary possession of as a security, by legal
          authority; "The FBI seized the drugs"; "The customs agents
          impounded the illegal shipment"; "The police confiscated
          the stolen artwork" [syn: {impound}, {attach}, {sequester},
           {confiscate}]
       5: seize and take control without authority and possibly with
          force; take as one's right or possession; "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" [syn: {assume}, {usurp}, {take
          over}, {arrogate}]
       6: hook by a pull on the line; "strike a fish"
       7: affect; "Fear seized the prisoners"; "The patient was seized
          with unberable pains"; "He was seized with a dreadful
          disease" [syn: {clutch}, {get hold of}]
       8: capture the attention or imagination of; "This story will
          grab you"; "The movie seized my imagination" [syn: {grab}]

From Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0 [moby-thes]:

  138 Moby Thesaurus words for "seize":
     abduct, absorb, accroach, adopt, afflict, annex, appreciate,
     apprehend, appropriate, arrest, arrogate, assimilate, assume,
     assume command, be acquainted with, be apprised of, be aware of,
     be cognizant of, be conscious of, be conversant with, be informed,
     be with one, beset, bind, bust, capture, carry, carry off, catch,
     catch at, catch on, clutch, cognize, collar, commandeer,
     comprehend, conceive, conceptualize, confiscate, dig, digest,
     discern, encroach, expropriate, fasten, fasten upon, fathom,
     follow, get, get hold of, get the drift, get the idea,
     get the picture, grab, grapple, grasp, grip, have,
     have information about, have it taped, have knowledge of, hold,
     impound, infringe, invade, jam, jump, jump at, ken, kidnap, know,
     latch, learn, lock up, make an arrest, make out, master,
     mount the throne, nab, nail, net, nick, occupy, perceive, pick up,
     pinch, play God, possess, pounce upon, preempt, prehend,
     pretend to, put under arrest, read, realize, recognize, round up,
     savvy, scramble for, secure, see, seize on, seize power,
     seize the meaning, seize the throne, sense, sequester, shanghai,
     snap at, snatch, snatch at, spring upon, stick, stop, subject,
     swoop down upon, take, take advantage of, take away, take captive,
     take charge, take command, take hold of, take in,
     take into custody, take over, take possession of, take prisoner,
     take the helm, take the lead, throttle, transfix, trespass,
     understand, usurp, visit, wot, wot of