seize
verb uk/siːz/ us/siːz/
B2 [ T ]抓住;夺过
to take something quickly and keep or hold it
I seized his arm and made him turn to look at me. 我抓住他的胳膊，让他转身看着我。
He seized the chance/opportunity of a free flight with both hands (= with eagerness or enthusiasm). 他急切地抓住这个搭乘免费航班的机会。
C2 [ T ]夺取;攫取;抓获
to take using sudden force
The rebels have seized ten soldiers to use as hostages. 叛乱者俘获了10名士兵作为人质。
Political instability helped the army to seize power. 政治动荡使军队攫取了权力。
Troops yesterday seized control of the broadcasting station. 昨天部队夺取了广播电台的控制权。
[ T ]没收;查获
If the police or other officials seize something, they take possession of it with legal authority.
Customs officers at Heathrow have seized 60 kilos of heroin. 希思罗机场的海关官员查获了60公斤海洛因。
[ usually passive ]（强烈情感或剧痛）突然侵袭
If a strong emotion or pain seizes you, you feel it suddenly.
I was suddenly seized by/with a feeling of great insecurity and loneliness. 我突然感到很不安全，很孤独。
- More examples
- She seized the gun and ran at him.
- Seizing the book in both hands, she threw it across the room.
- Heroin worth about $5 million was seized.
- The soldiers fell on the villagers and seized all their weapons.
- The terrorists have seized 20 hostages and are threatening to kill one a day unless their demands are met.
Phrasal verbs
seize on/upon something 抓住;揪住;大加利用
to use, accept, or take advantage of something quickly or enthusiastically
The story was seized on by the tabloid press, who printed it under huge headlines. 那件事被小报揪住不放，并用大字标题刊载。
seize up 动弹不得；出故障；失灵
to stop being able to move or work in the normal way
The washing machine totally seized up on Thursday. 星期四的时候洗衣机彻底坏掉了。
The traffic had seized up for miles because of the roadworks. 由于道路施工，车辆堵了好几英里。