seized

American  

[seezd] / sizd /

adjective

1. taken hold, possession, or control of, as by force or legal authority; confiscated, captured, or appropriated.

   Police say the seized property includes knives, computer equipment, a balaclava, and military clothing.

   Settlers were observed planting olive trees on illegally seized land.

2. (of an opportunity) taken advantage of promptly.

   Everything that Mom and I had accomplished was rooted firmly in the soil of hard work and seized opportunities.

3. (of moving parts) locked or jammed, as from excessive friction (often followed byup ).

   I gladly pay top dollar for lubricants and fluids, because I know it's far more expensive to have to rebuild a seized engine!

4. having ceased to function; having come to a halt (often followed byup ).

   Businesses need to access credit lines to function, but now the credit market is totally seized up.

5. fully understood; mentally grasped.

   People who need cognitive closure will absorb a statement early in the process of acquiring knowledge, "freeze" on that seized idea, and resist further information.

6. (of melted chocolate) grainy and clumpy from overheating or from contact with a small amount of moisture.

   To reverse the reaction, add more liquid, but just enough to dissolve most of the sugar and cocoa particles in the seized chocolate clumps.

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verb

1. the simple past tense and past participle of seize.

Other Word Forms

• unseized adjective

Etymology

Origin of seized

seize ( def. ) + -ed ² ( def. )

Example Sentences

The three states are ruled by military juntas which seized power in coups.

From BBC

US helicopters reportedly took off from it before US forces seized an oil tanker off Venezuela on 10 December.

From BBC

This month, the RSF consolidated its grip on West Kordofan -- one of three regional states -- and seized Heglig, which lies on Sudan's largest oil field.

From Barron's

In Dalian earlier this year, the police arrested 13 suspects, and seized more than 12,000 yellow-breasted buntings, a wild bird with the highest protection level in China.

From BBC

Boryana Dimitrova of the Alpha Research polling institute, which has tracked public opinion on the euro for a year, told AFP any problems with euro adoption would be seized on by anti-EU politicians.

From Barron's

Related Words

• captured