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seizes

verb

present tense third-person singular of seize
1
as in knows
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

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in arrests
to take or keep under one's control by authority of law seized the leaders of one of the city's major drug rings

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in grabs
to take physical control or possession of (something) suddenly or forcibly seized the escaping balloon just before it got out of reach

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
4
as in confiscates
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

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of seizes Wilson, meanwhile, seizes on the opening to play teacher’s pet. — David Ehrlich, IndieWire, 13 Sep. 2026 Obreht is a writer who doesn’t rush into easy patterns of storytelling but seizes control from the jump. — Literary Hub, 13 Aug. 2026 Better, Cretton seizes small moments to put his stamp on this installment. — Amy Nicholson, Los Angeles Times, 30 July 2026 Rhaenyra, queen of the Blacks, seizes the Iron Throne in King’s Landing with the support of Alicent, who has simply had enough of her unstable and terrible sons. — Jackson McHenry, Vulture, 13 July 2026 While Linda seizes, Bradley makes a break for it on a makeshift raft. — Brianna Zigler, Entertainment Weekly, 21 May 2026 Dean seizes the moment to confess his feelings for Allie, hoping to turn their friends-with-benefits arrangement into something more. — Nasha Smith, PEOPLE, 15 May 2026 The chef Brooks Headley seizes the day every day, showing us that vegetables are canny, capricious characters, capable of anything. — Ligaya Mishan, New York Times, 11 May 2026 Atmosphere by Taylor Jenkins Reid Joan Goodwin, a physics professor with a lifelong love of the stars, seizes the chance to join NASA’s first class of women astronauts and soon finds friendship, passion, and purpose among her fellow trainees. — Kait Hanson, Southern Living, 9 May 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for seizes
  1. knows
  2. arrests
  3. grabs
  4. confiscates
  5. understands
  6. apprehends
  7. catches
  8. usurps
Verb
  • Each person knows it, knows that the others know it, and so on indefinitely.
    — Rupendra Brahambhatt, Interesting Engineering, 19 Sep. 2026
  • But the Chargers’ new offensive coordinator knows his unit must show urgency and improvement Sunday against the Las Vegas Raiders after a rude wake-up call in the season opener.
    — Joaquin Ruiz, Los Angeles Times, 19 Sep. 2026
Definition of knows
Verb
  • Keith arrests our thinking, and cons us into suppressing our critical faculties with the same kind of internalized surveillance that philosopher Michel Foucault broke down to describe a prison’s use of the panopticon in Discipline and Punish.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 19 May 2026
  • Devlin throws a punch at Stone when the chief arrests him for drunken driving.
    — Sandra Dallas, Denver Post, 19 Apr. 2026
Definition of arrests
Verb
  • Kind of like when a lady grabs a fella’s collar and pulls him in for a kiss, but violent.
    — Bethy Squires, Vulture, 18 Sep. 2026
  • Harrison, who’s clutching a Sapporo, grabs his friend’s drink and neatly pops the top off using his own bottle.
    — Mikael Wood, Los Angeles Times, 18 Sep. 2026
Definition of grabs
Verb
  • Unlike most other states, California has its own inspection-and-approval system for fireworks, and confiscates those failing standards.
    — Trevor Hughes, USA Today, 30 June 2026
  • The children designated as Palestinians, meanwhile, have their drawings torn up and are relegated to small corners of the classroom while the teacher confiscates their candy.
    — Robert Schmad, The Washington Examiner, 26 Nov. 2025
Definition of confiscates
Verb
  • The former head of Google China, who has also held senior executive roles at Microsoft and Apple, understands intimately how Silicon Valley leaders think.
    — Andrew Edgecliffe-Johnson, semafor.com, 18 Sep. 2026
  • Sacramento State’s team, to a man, understands who and what is invading Hornet Stadium on Saturday night on ESPN, a thundering herd of buffalo rooted in tradition in the form of the North Dakota State Bison.
    — Joe Davidson, Sacbee.com, 17 Sep. 2026
Definition of understands
Verb
  • John Early, as anyone encountering his work soon apprehends, chooses the latter.
    — Lauren Michele Jackson, New Yorker, 7 June 2026
  • Though the team immediately apprehends a suspect, the Marshals end up taking criticism from both sides.
    — Saman Shafiq, USA Today, 21 Mar. 2026
Definition of apprehends
Verb
  • Cameron Roberts catches the ball at the 13 yard line and the Mainland defender is flagged for a late hit.
    — Buddy Collings, The Orlando Sentinel, 18 Sep. 2026
  • The shoes are a pointed-toe stiletto featuring pearl accents all throughout the uppers, creating a unique textural finish that catches the light.
    — Amina Ayoud, Footwear News, 18 Sep. 2026
Definition of catches
Verb
  • California courts have repeatedly refused to rewrite unconstitutional tax statutes on the grounds that this usurps the role of the Legislature or, in the case of an initiative, the people.
    — Jared Walczak, San Diego Union-Tribune, 31 July 2026
  • After witnessing Sinner miss 16 break points against the same opponent on Friday, Alcaraz would have been forgiven for worrying that something similar might happen to him — especially against arguably tennis’s greatest escape artist, at least until the Spaniard usurps him.
    — Matthew Futterman, New York Times, 1 Feb. 2026
Definition of usurps

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Cite this Entry

“Seizes.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/seizes. Accessed 23 Sep. 2026.

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