seize on/upon

phrasal verb

seized on/upon; seizing on/upon; seizes on/upon

: to take or use (something, such as a chance or opportunity) in a quick and eager way

His critics have seized on the scandal to call for his resignation.

She seized on the opportunity to tell her side of the story.

Examples of seize on/upon in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Democrats have sought to seize on the political division and are pushing a petition that would force a binding floor vote. —Miriam Waldvogel, The Hill, 21 July 2025

But the morning after is the clincher, revealing that everything else was prelude to the all-important question of how to get outside their own heads and seize on the potential of a genuine human connection. —Peter Debruge, Variety, 16 July 2025

One way to do this is to seize on encouraging signs of hope and drive up a sense of positivity. —Jo Causon, Forbes.com, 8 July 2025

While the tanks roll down Constitution Avenue and the legal battle proceeds, the real-world risk is that Trump will seize on the threat of being thwarted by the judiciary once again to take the far more consequential step of invoking the Insurrection Act. —Ruth Marcus, New Yorker, 14 June 2025