seize on

1. Also, seize upon.

2. Grab or take hold of suddenly, as in He seized on the bell rope and started to pull vigorously , or She seized upon every opportunity to present her side of the story . [Late 1600s]

3. Resort to some action, especially out of dire necessity, as in He seized upon any excuse, no matter how farfetched .

Example Sentences

Last fall, activists including Elon Musk seized on a misleading claim that Michigan has more voters than eligible residents to suggest that something was wrong with the state’s voter rolls.

From Salon

Public safety advocacy groups have seized on the moment to ask state legislators and Gov. Gavin Newsom to increase policing and install more license plate readers in and around the Bay Area.

From Los Angeles Times

Democrats seized on their release to push the White House to publish more Epstein-related files.

From Salon

In August, he deployed the National Guard to Washington, D.C., seizing on instances of violent crime to claim a public emergency.

From Los Angeles Times

That is already being seized on by Labour's political opponents.

From BBC