seizure

sei·zure | \ ˈsē-zhər

Definition of seizure

1a : the act, action, or process of seizing : the state of being seized

b : the taking possession of person or property by legal process

2a : a sudden attack (as of disease) especially : the physical manifestations (such as convulsions, sensory disturbances, or loss of consciousness) resulting from abnormal electrical discharges in the brain (as in epilepsy)

b : an abnormal electrical discharge in the brain

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Examples of seizure in a Sentence

the seizure of power by the rebels property that is protected from seizure the seizure of evidence by the police Not all searches and seizures by the police require a warrant.

Recent Examples on the Web The remaining bitcoin stayed in the wallet until this week's seizure. — Dan Goodin, Ars Technica, "The feds just seized Silk Road’s $1 billion stash of bitcoin," 5 Nov. 2020 That law expanded on Carly’s Law, passed in 2014, that authorized a UAB study on using cannabidiol to treat seizure disorders. — al, "Medical marijuana reaches Mississippi: will it come to Alabama next?," 4 Nov. 2020 The domains included messaging against President Trump, the U.S. withdrawal from the Iran Nuclear Deal, and Israel and Saudi Arabia, which are Iranian adversaries, according to an FBI seizure warrant. — Michael Williams, SFChronicle.com, "Feds seize more domain names they say were part of Iranian disinformation campaign," 4 Nov. 2020 This experience and training kicked in as Snyder took command to rescue a voter who suffered a seizure at the polling place about noon Tuesday. — Vic Ryckaert, The Indianapolis Star, "Trauma nurse Colby Snyder volunteered to work the polls. A voter was lucky she was there.," 3 Nov. 2020 Another such problem was that certain elites, having attracted the crown’s disfavor, took refuge against peremptory seizure. — Rafil Kroll-zaidi, The New York Review of Books, "The Revival of Church Sanctuary," 3 Nov. 2020 The findings, published in June in Lancet Psychiatry, suggest that CBT may not reduce seizure frequency in all patients. — Diana Kwon, Scientific American, "Decoding a Disorder at the Interface of Mind and Brain," 1 Nov. 2020 The Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office said a motorist apparently suffered a seizure and lost control of his car before a five-vehicle wreck earlier today on westbound Interstate 275 in Symmes Township. — Jeanne Houck, The Enquirer, "Driver suffered apparent seizure before wrong-way, five-car wreck on I-275 in Symmes Twp.," 12 Sep. 2020 But the following night, the dog suffered a bad seizure, and the actor and his husband Todd Spiewak made the difficult decision to put their pet out of its pain. — Phil Boucher, PEOPLE.com, "Jim Parsons Opens Up About What Led to His Big Bang Theory Exit: 'I Had This Moment of Clarity'," 11 Aug. 2020

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'seizure.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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Last Updated

17 Nov 2020

Cite this Entry

“Seizure.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/seizure. Accessed 26 Nov. 2020.

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More Definitions for seizure

seizure

noun

English Language Learners Definition of seizure

: the act of taking control of something especially by force or violence

law : the act of taking something by legal authority

medical : an abnormal state in which you become unconscious and your body moves in an uncontrolled and violent way

See the full definition for seizure in the English Language Learners Dictionary

seizure

noun

sei·zure | \ ˈsē-zhər

Kids Definition of seizure

1 : an act of taking suddenly or with force : the state of being taken suddenly or with force

2 : an abnormal state in which a person usually experiences convulsions and may become unconscious

seizure

noun

sei·zure | \ ˈsē-zhər

Medical Definition of seizure

1 : a sudden attack (as of disease) especially : the physical manifestations (as convulsions, sensory disturbances, or loss of consciousness) resulting from abnormal electrical discharges in the brain (as in epilepsy)

2 : an abnormal electrical discharge in the brain

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seizure

noun

sei·zure | \ ˈsē-zhər

Legal Definition of seizure

: the act, fact, or process of seizing: as

a : the seizing of property that involves meaningful interference with a person's possessory interest in it seizure of evidence found in plain view — see also plain view sense 2

b : the seizing of a person (as for arrest or investigation) — see also arrest, stop — compare search

Note: The Fourth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution guarantees the right against unreasonable searches and seizures. It requires that a warrant may issue only upon probable cause, and that the warrant particularly describe the persons or things to be seized. Not all seizures, however, require a warrant. A seizure that constitutes an arrest requires probable cause to be reasonable, and a stop usually requires reasonable suspicion of the particular person or persons stopped, although stops like those at drunk driving checkpoints may be justified by a plan that places explicit and neutral limitations on the conduct of police officers with no requirement of individualized suspicion.

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