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 sequel tells you what that omission was worth: It was 2021, nearly a decade after the seizure, before Indiana finally gave up on keeping Timbs’ car.
From Slate ● Jul. 28, 2026
And black boxing can never protect against sovereign Saudi seizure of what’s in the box.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 26, 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
She had diabetes and died from a seizure.
From "What the Night Sings" by Vesper Stamper
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
Fewer than 1 in 10 of those stops resulted in seizures of guns or drugs, the report said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 24, 2026
Constitutional safeguards normally require a court order prior to searches or seizures, and seizing a child from their parent is one of the most extreme steps the government can take.
From Slate ● Jul. 7, 2026
In February last year she was rushed to hospital after having five seizures.
From BBC ● Jul. 1, 2026
Some seizures were as small as eight cents.
From "The New Jim Crow" by Michelle Alexander
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.
