seize

verb

ˈsēz How to pronounce seize (audio)
Definition of seizenext
1
as in to understand
to have a clear idea of a critic with a sharp intellect that is able to seize the most subtle nuances of a work of art

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to arrest
to take or keep under one's control by authority of law seized the leaders of one of the city's major drug rings

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in to grab
to take physical control or possession of (something) suddenly or forcibly seized the escaping balloon just before it got out of reach

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
4
as in to confiscate
to take or make use of under a guise of authority but without actual right Richard III seized the English throne from his brother Edward in 1483

Synonyms & Similar Words

Synonym Chooser

How is the word seize different from other verbs like it?

Some common synonyms of seize are clutch, grab, grasp, snatch, and take. While all these words mean "to get hold of by or as if by catching up with the hand," seize implies a sudden and forcible movement in getting hold of something tangible or an apprehending of something fleeting or elusive when intangible.

seized the suspect

When might clutch be a better fit than seize?

While the synonyms clutch and seize are close in meaning, clutch suggests avidity or anxiety in seizing or grasping and may imply less success in holding.

clutching her purse

How are the words grab and snatch related as synonyms of seize?

Grab implies more roughness or rudeness than snatch.

grabbed roughly by the arm

When is it sensible to use grasp instead of seize?

The words grasp and seize are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, grasp stresses a laying hold so as to have firmly in possession.

grasp the handle and pull

How do snatch and seize relate to one another?

Snatch suggests more suddenness or quickness but less force than seize.

snatched a doughnut and ran

When could take be used to replace seize?

The words take and seize can be used in similar contexts, but take is a general term applicable to any manner of getting something into one's possession or control.

take some salad from the bowl

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of seize The shortage has been worsened by the US seizing oil shipments from Cuba’s long-standing ally Venezuela. — Chas Newkey-Burden, TheWeek, 28 Aug. 2026 Some 10 billion liters of black market fuel were seized at that time in Tamaulipas. — CBS News, 28 Aug. 2026 Federal agents eventually found a pressure point by seizing domains the malware needed to operate. — Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 28 Aug. 2026 Biggers and Butler seized on their opportunities this training camp, elevating their roles. — Omar Kelly, Miami Herald, 28 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for seize
Recent Examples of Synonyms for seize
  1. understand
  2. arrest
  3. grab
  4. confiscate
  5. know
  6. apprehend
  7. catch
  8. steal
Verb
  • Luiz understands that aspect, too, acknowledging that Sporting KC needed him four separate times during Thursday’s news conference.
    — Daniel Sperry, Kansas City Star, 28 Aug. 2026
  • Instead of starting with a new component, its engineers worked to understand the hardware already available to NAVAIR.
    — Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 28 Aug. 2026
Definition of understand
Verb
  • After years of legal proceedings in the United Kingdom and Romania, the Tates were arrested in Miami by US Marshals on July 18 on provisional arrest warrants requested by Britain.
    — Jonny Hallam, CNN Money, 28 Aug. 2026
  • Then, in March 2025, he was arrested for the rape of a 46-year-old woman earlier that year.
    — Joaquin Sapien, ProPublica, 28 Aug. 2026
Definition of arrest
Verb
  • Mishka Wilonski had just grabbed pizza from a nearby shop and was walking outside with a friend when the crash happened.
    — Angel Saunders, PEOPLE, 1 Sep. 2026
  • Michael grabbed him, rushed out of the house, and blew through several red lights on the way to the hospital.
    — Ruby Cramer, New Yorker, 31 Aug. 2026
Definition of grab
Verb
  • When referee Rick Knox confiscated the belt, Christian loaded up his wrist brace with a wrench.
    — Alfred Konuwa, Forbes.com, 30 Aug. 2026
  • Citing medical privacy laws, Ryan Gustin, a spokesperson for CoreCivic, declined to answer questions about Bartko’s allegations that her medication was confiscated and withheld from her for nearly two weeks.
    — Matthew Kelly, Kansas City Star, 30 Aug. 2026
Definition of confiscate
Verb
  • Arroyo and Weiss didn’t know that Link, a Vernon Hills Democrat, was cooperating with the FBI.
    — Jason Meisner, Chicago Tribune, 28 Aug. 2026
  • But the two men also know some individuals can delay the inevitable for years far beyond the norm.
    — Jay Posner, Los Angeles Times, 28 Aug. 2026
Definition of know
Verb
  • The Esquire piece covers a Texas district attorney named Bill Conradt, who died by suicide in 2006 when Hansen and Dateline’s cameras, as well as law enforcement, attempted to apprehend him at his home as part of an operation covered by the program.
    — Tommy McArdle, PEOPLE, 26 Aug. 2026
  • The teens walked away from the wreck with few injuries and tried to run, but authorities apprehended them shortly afterward, officials said.
    — Sarah Rumpf-Whitten, FOXNews.com, 26 Aug. 2026
Definition of apprehend
Verb
  • Salas, 20, should soon become the youngest player to catch a big-league game since Ivan Rodriguez debuted with the Texas Rangers in 1991.
    — Dennis Lin, New York Times, 1 Sep. 2026
  • Fortunately, one of the most sensitive detectors ever constructed was buried there to catch that fleeting glow and record the neutrinos’ ghostly presence.
    — Joseph Howlett, Scientific American, 31 Aug. 2026
Definition of catch
Verb
  • In 1950, just before the LSU-Tulane game, Brown said a Tulane student, Norbert James, and his buddy stole LSU’s Mike the Tiger the night before their football game.
    — Maddie Rhodes, USA Today, 27 Aug. 2026
  • The nectar contains grayanotoxin, a chemical the plant likely evolved to deter insects that steal nectar without pollinating the flower.
    — Prayan Pokharel, The Conversation, 27 Aug. 2026
Definition of steal

Browse Nearby Words

seiners
seize
seized
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Seize.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/seize. Accessed 1 Sep. 2026.

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