Showing results for "seized"

• past tense form of seize.
• past participle of seize.

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

See Examples For:

seized

And he seized his chance when he got a cutter down the middle from Braves reliever Victor Mederos.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 3, 2026

The foes have traded strikes since the Houthis seized all of Yemen's Red Sea coast and took control of the Bab al-Mandab strait in a lightning offensive.

From Barron's ● Oct. 3, 2026

United Airlines, which has Starlink available on nearly half its daily flights and expects to finish outfitting its fleet by the end of next year, seized the opportunity this week to go after competitors’ customers.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 2, 2026

The $160 seized in the sting was given to the task force as part of his plea.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 2, 2026

They searched his grandparents’ apartment and seized the radio, extra flyers, and the typewriter.

From "Hitler Youth: Growing Up in Hitler's Shadow" by Susan Campbell Bartoletti

Related Words

• captured