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seize

verb

Synonyms and Antonyms of seize

1 to have a clear idea of
  • a critic with a sharp intellect that is able to seize the most subtle nuances of a work of art
Synonyms of seize

appreciate, apprehend, assimilate, behold, catch, catch on (to), cognize, compass, comprehend, conceive, cotton (to or on to), decipher, decode, dig, discern, get, grasp, intuit, know, make, make out, perceive, recognize, register, savvy, see, sense, tumble (to), twig, understand
Words Related to seize

absorb, digest, take in

realize

fathom, penetrate, pierce
Phrases Synonymous with seize

pick up on
Near Antonyms of seize

misapprehend, misconceive, misconstrue, misinterpret, misperceive, misread, mistake, misunderstand
Antonyms of seize

miss
2 to take or keep under one's control by authority of law
  • Police seized the leaders of the hacking community.
Synonyms of seize

apprehend, arrest, bust [slang], collar, nab, nail, pick up, pinch, pull in, restrain, run in
Words Related to seize

bag, capture, catch, get, grab, grapple, hook, land, snap (up), snare, snatch, trap

commit, confine, detain, hold, immure, imprison, incarcerate, intern, jail, jug, lock (up)

bind, enchain, fetter, handcuff, manacle, shackle, trammel

rearrest

remand
Near Antonyms of seize

emancipate, free, liberate, loose, loosen, release, spring

unbind, unchain
Antonyms of seize

discharge
3 to take physical control or possession of (something) suddenly or forcibly
  • She seized the escaping balloon just before it got out of reach.
Synonyms of seize

bag, capture, catch, collar, cop [slang], corral, get, glom, grab, grapple, hook, land, nab, nail, net, rap, snag, snap (up), snare, snatch, trap
Words Related to seize

glove, halter, lasso, rope

apprehend, arrest, detain

bay, corner

clasp, clutch, fasten (on), fist, grasp, grip, hold, latch (on or onto), secure

rend, wrest

enmesh (also immesh), ensnare, entangle, entrap, mesh

abduct, kidnap, spirit (away or off)
Phrases Synonymous with seize

take hold (of)
Near Antonyms of seize

discharge, free, liberate, release

drop, loosen, unhand
Antonyms of seize

miss
4 to take or make use of under a guise of authority but without actual right
  • Richard III seized the English throne from his nephew Edward in 1483.
Synonyms of seize

appropriate, arrogate, commandeer, convert, expropriate, pirate, preempt, press, take over, usurp
Words Related to seize

annex, attach, claim, confiscate, impound, repossess, sequester

assume, collar, grab, grasp, snatch, steal, wrench, wrest

despoil, loot, pillage

encroach, infringe, invade, occupy, preoccupy, trespass

embezzle, misapply, misappropriate, misuse

Synonym Discussion of seize

take, seize, grasp, clutch, snatch, grab mean to get hold of by or as if by catching up with the hand. take is a general term applicable to any manner of getting something into one's possession or control.
    • take some salad from the bowl
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
grasp stresses a laying hold so as to have firmly in possession.
    • grasp the handle and pull
clutch suggests avidity or anxiety in seizing or grasping and may imply less success in holding.
    • clutching her purse
snatch suggests more suddenness or quickness but less force than seize.
    • snatched a doughnut and ran
grab implies more roughness or rudeness than snatch.
    • grabbed roughly by the arm

Learn More about seize

  1. Dictionary: Definition of seize Spanish Central: Translation of seize Nglish: Translation of seize for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of seize for Arabic speakers

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