noun
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the act or an instance of seizing or the state of being seized
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pathol a sudden manifestation or recurrence of a disease, such as an epileptic convulsion
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A sudden episode of transient neurologic symptoms such as involuntary muscle movements, sensory disturbances and altered consciousness. A seizure is caused by abnormal electrical activity in the brain, which is often diagnosed on an electroencephalogram.
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See also epilepsy
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of seizure
Explanation
A seizure is the act of taking by legal process or force, such as the seizure of evidence found at the scene of a crime. A seizure is the act of seizing — a forceful action in which an object or person is suddenly taken over, grabbed, removed, or overwhelmed. It's not something you want to happen. Criminals may think the seizure of a wealthy person can bring them a fortune in ransom money. Another kind of seizure is the kind caused by a misfire of electrons in the brain, causing a loss of control of the body. It too is an unwanted taking over by force.
Vocabulary lists containing seizure
The Bill of Rights
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The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian
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Out of My Mind
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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.
See Examples For:
The clause survives as decoration: incorporated, venerated, and incapable of stopping a single seizure.
From Slate ● Jul. 28, 2026
Apollo, a Maine coon who died at 13 following a seizure a year after his arrival in 2015, had curbed the shop’s mouse problem and brought “so much love and energy.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 17, 2026
He said Russian carried out "11 assault attempts" on Friday -- when Moscow announced the seizure -- but said they "failed to achieve any success".
From Barron's ● Jul. 4, 2026
Then, in 2011, she suffered her first seizure.
From BBC ● Jun. 30, 2026
I had had a particularly bad seizure the day before.
From "100 Sideways Miles" by Andrew Smith
The justices have been writing essays about the problem for a decade while the seizures continue.
From Slate ● Jul. 28, 2026
Reported consequences include autism-like behaviors, unusual brain growth, seizures, and greater sensitivity to ordinary sounds, touch, and other sensory experiences.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 25, 2026
Before surgery, she said she was experiencing about three seizures a day on average.
From BBC ● Jul. 23, 2026
Courts have repeatedly found that license-plate readers, like those used by Flock, don’t violate privacy rights or Fourth Amendment protections against unreasonable searches and seizures, legal experts say.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 26, 2026
“Pulse is normal. No tremors and no seizures, so I guess you’re okay.”
From "Sir Fig Newton and the Science of Persistence" by Sonja Thomas
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
