seize up

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Idioms and Phrases

Come to a halt, as in The peace talks seized up and were not rescheduled . Originally, from about 1870 on, this term was applied to a machine of some kind that jammed or locked, owing to excessive heat or friction. Its figurative use dates from about 1950.

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Example Sentences

Why that should cause the Western financial system to completely seize up I don't think we completely understand.

From The Daily Beast

Word of the Day

April 24, 2024gallimaufry

[gal-uh-maw-free ]

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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

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