seize up

verb

seized up; seizing up; seizes up

: to stop working because the moving parts can no longer move

The engine/brakes suddenly seized up.

—sometimes used figuratively

Her brain seized up when she tried to answer the question.

Examples of seize up in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Butter splatters all over the roof of the microwave, and chocolate seizes up. — Brandee Gruener, Southern Living, 30 July 2026

Symptoms include migraines, muscles seizing up, his eyes turning completely black, and steroidal toxic-male rage. — David Fear, Rolling Stone, 28 July 2026

Whether this long pause was welcomed by the players, whose muscles were thereby granted an extended opportunity to seize up, is hard to say. — Anthony Lane, New Yorker, 17 July 2026

And keep an eye on the heat—if the burner’s cranked up too high, the cheese can seize up. — Maggie Meyer Glisan, Better Homes & Gardens, 20 June 2026

Rhymes for seize up

• buttercup
• backup
• blowup
• breakup
• buildup
• checkup
• cleanup
• holdup
• hookup
• lineup
• lockup
• makeup