seize up

Idioms

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.

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Aim for dishes that still taste perfectly fine when eaten lukewarm, that don’t seize up or congeal the moment they cool.

From Salon • Jan. 19, 2026

Warner picked Netflix’s offer in part because of uncertainty about how solid Paramount’s financing is, especially if debt markets seize up as they did in 2022, a person with knowledge of the deal said.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 10, 2025

That fight came to a head in April, when fears of a sudden stop to the global economy caused the Treasury market to seize up.

From Barron's • Oct. 10, 2025

Her arms seize up and she struggles to raise them above her shoulders.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 10, 2025

No matter how much you know on the subject, if he just starts asking all sorts of unexpected questions, your mind and brain seize up like a pump in the winter.

From "Elijah of Buxton" by Christopher Paul Curtis

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