Synonyms of seized

seized

verb

past tense of seize

1

as in understood

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 & Similar Words

• understood
• knew
• grasped
• recognized
• saw
• deciphered
• comprehended
• appreciated
• got
• realized
• sensed
• apprehended
• discerned
• conceived
• perceived
• dug
• beheld
• made
• caught
• registered
• assimilated
• made out
• caught on (to)
• decoded
• picked up on
• tumbled (to)
• twigged
• savvied
• compassed
• intuited
• absorbed
• grokked
• cottoned (to or on to)
• digested
• cognized
• penetrated
• took in
• fathomed
• pierced

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• missed
• misunderstood
• misinterpreted
• mistook
• misconstrued
• misread
• misconceived
• misapprehended
• misperceived

2

as in arrested

to take or keep under one's control by authority of law

seized the leaders of one of the city's major drug rings

Synonyms & Similar Words

• arrested
• grabbed
• apprehended
• detained
• restrained
• captured
• snatched
• pinched
• nabbed
• nicked
• nailed
• caught
• committed
• jailed
• pulled in
• busted
• ran in
• collared
• picked up
• imprisoned
• trapped
• incarcerated
• landed
• confined
• snared
• grappled
• held
• hooked
• snapped (up)
• handcuffed
• bound
• interned
• bagged
• got
• locked (up)
• shackled
• fettered
• remanded
• rearrested
• jugged
• manacled
• immured
• enchained
• trammeled

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• discharged
• released
• freed
• liberated
• sprang
• loosened
• loosed
• emancipated
• unbound
• unchained

3

as in grabbed

to take physical control or possession of (something) suddenly or forcibly

seized the escaping balloon just before it got out of reach

Synonyms & Similar Words

• grabbed
• caught
• snatched
• captured
• landed
• got
• nabbed
• trapped
• snagged
• netted
• snared
• corralled
• hooked
• grappled
• rapped
• snapped (up)
• bagged
• took hold (of)
• nailed
• copped
• arrested
• collared
• glommed
• held
• grasped
• clutched
• apprehended
• detained
• nobbled
• secured
• gripped
• kidnapped
• roped
• cornered
• gloved
• clasped
• wrested
• abducted
• lassoed
• ensnared
• entrapped
• fastened (on)
• rent
• fisted
• enmeshed
• entangled
• haltered
• meshed
• latched (on or onto)
• bayed
• spirited (away or off)

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• missed
• released
• discharged
• freed
• liberated
• dropped
• loosened
• unhanded

4

as in confiscated

to take or make use of under a guise of authority but without actual right

Richard III seized the English throne from his brother Edward in 1483

Synonyms & Similar Words

• confiscated
• grabbed
• stole
• converted
• usurped
• claimed
• occupied
• appropriated
• commandeered
• invaded
• annexed
• snatched
• pirated
• assumed
• preempted
• expropriated
• arrogated
• pressed
• looted
• took over
• attached
• impounded
• grasped
• repossessed
• despoiled
• sequestered
• wrenched
• pillaged
• encroached
• wrested
• infringed
• trespassed
• preoccupied
• misused
• embezzled
• collared
• misapplied
• misappropriated
• peculated

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of seized

Messi had a shot saved at the beginning of the second half, but Palacios then sparked a move from one side of the pitch to the other as Nashville restored its lead in the 49th minute and seized control of the game. — Dean Jones, New York Times, 16 Aug. 2026

Authorities have seized Walter’s cellphone and laptop, according to Bloomberg. — Los Angeles Times, 16 Aug. 2026

Biggs, 67, has seized on the refusal, repeatedly challenging Hobbs to debate and making her absence itself part of his campaign message. — Barnini Chakraborty, The Washington Examiner, 15 Aug. 2026

In 2017, deputies seized approximately 7,000 birds in Southern California. — Naomi Taxay, Sacbee.com, 15 Aug. 2026

News the Taliban had seized the Afghan capital spread fast, through text messages urging students to flee the campus. — Dominique Soguel, Christian Science Monitor, 15 Aug. 2026

Additional merchandise seized by the IDF includes all the trappings of a professional army and guerrilla terrorist forces. — Benjamin Weinthal, FOXNews.com, 15 Aug. 2026

President Min Aung Hlaing, the former army chief who had originally seized power in 2021 from Suu Kyi’s civilian government, has been trying to win political legitimacy since the takeover and resume relations with ASEAN. — ABC News, 9 Aug. 2026

Attacks could draw retaliation and reignite Yemen’s war Yemen’s civil war began in 2014 when the rebels seized the capital, Sanaa, and much of northern Yemen, forcing the government into exile. — Fatma Khaled, Chicago Tribune, 8 Aug. 2026