seize

Meanings

• take hold of; grab
  • "The sales clerk quickly seized the money on the counter"
  • "The mother seized her child by the arm"
  • "Birds of prey often seize small mammals"
• take or capture by force
  • "The terrorists seized the politicians"
  • "The rebels threaten to seize civilian hostages"
• take possession of by force, as after an invasion
  • "the invaders seized the land and property of the inhabitants"
  • "The army seized the town"
• take temporary possession of as a security, by legal authority
  • "The FBI seized the drugs"
• seize and take control without authority and possibly with force; take as one's right or possession
  • "She seized control of the throne after her husband died"
• hook by a pull on the line
• affect
  • "Fear seized the prisoners"
  • "The patient was seized with unbearable pains"
  • "He was seized with a dreadful disease"
• capture the attention or imagination of
  • "The movie seized my imagination"

Synonyms

appropriate, arrogate, assume, attach, capture, clutch, confiscate, conquer, get hold of, grab, impound, prehend, sequester, take over, usurp