seize

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Synonym Chooser

How is the word seize different from other verbs like it?

Some common synonyms of seize are clutch, grab, grasp, snatch, and take. While all these words mean "to get hold of by or as if by catching up with the hand," seize implies a sudden and forcible movement in getting hold of something tangible or an apprehending of something fleeting or elusive when intangible.

seized the suspect

When might clutch be a better fit than seize?

While the synonyms clutch and seize are close in meaning, clutch suggests avidity or anxiety in seizing or grasping and may imply less success in holding.

clutching her purse

How are the words grab and snatch related as synonyms of seize?

Grab implies more roughness or rudeness than snatch.

grabbed roughly by the arm

When is it sensible to use grasp instead of seize?

The words grasp and seize are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, grasp stresses a laying hold so as to have firmly in possession.

grasp the handle and pull

How do snatch and seize relate to one another?

Snatch suggests more suddenness or quickness but less force than seize.

snatched a doughnut and ran

When could take be used to replace seize?

The words take and seize can be used in similar contexts, but take is a general term applicable to any manner of getting something into one's possession or control.

take some salad from the bowl

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of seize As French police, government officials and top executives at the Louvre Museum continue to scratch their heads over how thieves managed to brazenly steal priceless jewelry in broad daylight, a German company is seizing the moment and grabbing its 15 minutes of fame. Lianne Kolirin, CNN Money, 24 Oct. 2025 The victims are local teenagers, seized in roundups, while the courtesans, whose ghastly storytelling each night inspires the action, are like camp followers, the guards collaborators. David Wingrave, Harpers Magazine, 24 Oct. 2025 After reports that Slater opposed the settlement but was overruled by Attorney General Pam Bondi, Democrats seized on it as an example of political interference from Trump-supporting lobbyists. Ted Johnson, Deadline, 24 Oct. 2025 That could include the roughly $40,000 seized by law enforcement and the Wilder property. Alex Brizee, Idaho Statesman, 24 Oct. 2025 See All Example Sentences for seize
Recent Examples of Synonyms for seize
Verb
  • Both also connected really deeply with their big-name players and understood how to communicate with those individuals to get the best out of them.
    Dermot Corrigan, New York Times, 31 Oct. 2025
  • Deadline understands that 26 crew members of Tulsa King‘s 600-member crew were asked not to return for Season 4, which is expected to resume production in a week.
    Lynette Rice, Deadline, 31 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • As previously reported by PEOPLE, the two men were arrested after the Paris Banditry Repression Brigade (BRB) and the Central Office for the Fight against Trafficking in Cultural Goods (OCBC) led an investigation into the robbery on Saturday, according to French outlets Le Parisien and Paris Match.
    Becca Longmire, PEOPLE, 30 Oct. 2025
  • Lopez had already been arrested by local police for the table-flipping incident.
    Peter D'Abrosca, FOXNews.com, 29 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • The woman’s mother then reportedly grabbed Crouch to keep him away from her daughter, causing Crouch to allegedly begin attacking the victim, the affidavit said.
    Julia Bonavita, FOXNews.com, 3 Nov. 2025
  • Again, hopefully, Foxx was able to relax a little, grab some rays and just breathe.
    Madeleine Marr, Miami Herald, 3 Nov. 2025
Verb
  • The property of citizens has been confiscated, there are floggings, and attacks.
    Ivana Kottasová, CNN Money, 30 Oct. 2025
  • The city also can seize and confiscate any e-bike operated in violation of the ordinance’s provisions.
    Elizabeth Marie Himchak, San Diego Union-Tribune, 28 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • The charitable organization funded by the Johnson & Johnson heiress is known for gifts to education, health and civic projects.
    Dave Smith, Fortune, 26 Oct. 2025
  • Also known as irritable hip, the condition is due to inflammation of the hip joint lining.
    Emily Blackwood, PEOPLE, 26 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • Authorities apprehended Efrem Edmondson soon afterwards, who was convicted of murder in September 2025.
    Samira Asma-Sadeque, PEOPLE, 29 Oct. 2025
  • According to the Paris prosecutor, authorities apprehended one suspect at Charles de Gaulle Airport on Saturday night.
    NPR, NPR, 27 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • But the man who caught her eye in the end was practically a stranger.
    Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 4 Nov. 2025
  • The hiring has caught the attention of the beauty world today.
    Emma Hinchliffe, Fortune, 3 Nov. 2025
Verb
  • Helm topples trees, uproots crops, overturns feed stacks, steals loose blankets.
    Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 3 Nov. 2025
  • French officials and the Louvre Museum have come under international fire in the days and weeks after the heist for security insufficiencies that allowed thieves to steal priceless artifacts in broad daylight.
    Karissa Waddick, USA Today, 2 Nov. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Seize.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/seize. Accessed 5 Nov. 2025.

More from Merriam-Webster on seize

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