See seize up in All languages combined, or Wiktionary
{
"etymology_text": "The term originates c. 1870 referring to a machine which jammed up because of excessive heat or friction; it has been used figuratively since c. 1950.",
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"lang_code": "en",
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{
"_dis": "74 14 13",
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"_dis1": "83 10 7",
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"text": "In the 2004 film A Day Without a Mexican, Sergio Arau imagines, in mockumentary style, what would happen to California if its entire Mexican-immigrant population vanished. With so many housekeepers and farmworkers, teachers and gardeners, line cooks and police gone, the state seizes up.",
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"ref": "2023 December 5, Pamela Stephenson Connolly, “I love casual fun – but seize up sexually in a serious relationship”, in The Guardian, →ISSN, archived from the original on 12 Dec 2023:",
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"ref": "2025 April 25, Annie Lowrey, “What Would Be Worse Than a Recession?”, in The Atlantic, archived from the original on 28 Apr 2025:",
"text": "All of this has spooked the world’s investors. The bond market seized up after Trump’s “Liberation Day” tariff announcement, as some analysts wondered whether the Fed would have to step in to provide liquidity.",
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],
"glosses": [
"To stop functioning; to come to a halt."
],
"id": "en-seize_up-en-verb-SPq9--vO",
"links": [
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"(figuratively) To stop functioning; to come to a halt."
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"related": [
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"word": "freeze"
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{
"word": "freeze up"
},
{
"word": "grind to a halt"
}
],
"tags": [
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{
"_dis1": "96 1 3",
"code": "fi",
"lang": "Finnish",
"lang_code": "fi",
"sense": "figuratively: to stop functioning; to come to a halt",
"word": "lakata toimimasta"
}
]
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"ref": "2012 June 19, Amelia Hill, quoting Tony Nicklinson, “Man with locked-in syndrome calls for change to murder law”, in The Guardian, →ISSN, archived from the original on 18 Sep 2019:",
"text": "I have had over six years to think about my future and it does not look good. I … can expect no cure or improvement in my condition as my muscles and joints seize up through lack of use.",
"type": "quotation"
}
],
"glosses": [
"To stiffen or become tight and difficult to move."
],
"id": "en-seize_up-en-verb-qHlktEj5",
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[
"muscle",
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[
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"stiffen"
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"tight"
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],
"raw_glosses": [
"(of muscles) To stiffen or become tight and difficult to move."
],
"raw_tags": [
"of muscles"
],
"tags": [
"intransitive"
],
"translations": [
{
"_dis1": "4 82 14",
"code": "fi",
"lang": "Finnish",
"lang_code": "fi",
"sense": "of muscles: to stiffen or become tight and difficult to move",
"word": "mennä lukkoon"
},
{
"_dis1": "4 82 14",
"code": "de",
"lang": "German",
"lang_code": "de",
"sense": "of muscles: to stiffen or become tight and difficult to move",
"word": "verhärten"
},
{
"_dis1": "4 82 14",
"code": "it",
"lang": "Italian",
"lang_code": "it",
"sense": "of muscles: to stiffen or become tight and difficult to move",
"word": "intorpidirsi"
},
{
"_dis1": "4 82 14",
"code": "ru",
"lang": "Russian",
"lang_code": "ru",
"roman": "svodítʹ",
"sense": "of muscles: to stiffen or become tight and difficult to move",
"tags": [
"imperfective"
],
"word": "своди́ть"
},
{
"_dis1": "4 82 14",
"code": "ru",
"lang": "Russian",
"lang_code": "ru",
"roman": "svestí",
"sense": "of muscles: to stiffen or become tight and difficult to move",
"tags": [
"perfective"
],
"word": "свести́"
},
{
"_dis1": "4 82 14",
"code": "es",
"lang": "Spanish",
"lang_code": "es",
"sense": "of muscles: to stiffen or become tight and difficult to move",
"word": "agarrotarse"
},
{
"_dis1": "4 82 14",
"code": "tr",
"lang": "Turkish",
"lang_code": "tr",
"sense": "of muscles: to stiffen or become tight and difficult to move",
"word": "tutulmak"
}
]
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"To stop working suddenly, and become impossible to start again."
],
"id": "en-seize_up-en-verb-KG~nvtZd",
"links": [
[
"machine",
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],
"raw_glosses": [
"(of a machine) To stop working suddenly, and become impossible to start again."
],
"raw_tags": [
"of a machine"
],
"tags": [
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],
"translations": [
{
"_dis1": "11 14 75",
"code": "fi",
"lang": "Finnish",
"lang_code": "fi",
"sense": "of a machine: to stop working suddenly, and become impossible to start again",
"word": "lakata toimimasta"
},
{
"_dis1": "11 14 75",
"code": "fi",
"english": "engine",
"lang": "Finnish",
"lang_code": "fi",
"sense": "of a machine: to stop working suddenly, and become impossible to start again",
"translation": "engine",
"word": "leikata kiinni"
},
{
"_dis1": "11 14 75",
"code": "fi",
"english": "engine",
"lang": "Finnish",
"lang_code": "fi",
"sense": "of a machine: to stop working suddenly, and become impossible to start again",
"tags": [
"informal"
],
"translation": "engine",
"word": "hirttää kiinni"
},
{
"_dis1": "11 14 75",
"code": "fr",
"lang": "French",
"lang_code": "fr",
"sense": "of a machine: to stop working suddenly, and become impossible to start again",
"word": "se gripper"
},
{
"_dis1": "11 14 75",
"code": "de",
"lang": "German",
"lang_code": "de",
"sense": "of a machine: to stop working suddenly, and become impossible to start again",
"word": "blockieren"
},
{
"_dis1": "11 14 75",
"code": "de",
"english": "engine",
"lang": "German",
"lang_code": "de",
"sense": "of a machine: to stop working suddenly, and become impossible to start again",
"translation": "engine",
"word": "festfressen"
},
{
"_dis1": "11 14 75",
"code": "de",
"english": "moving piece; reflexive",
"lang": "German",
"lang_code": "de",
"sense": "of a machine: to stop working suddenly, and become impossible to start again",
"translation": "moving piece; reflexive",
"word": "verklemmen"
},
{
"_dis1": "11 14 75",
"code": "de",
"english": "car",
"lang": "German",
"lang_code": "de",
"sense": "of a machine: to stop working suddenly, and become impossible to start again",
"translation": "car",
"word": "liegen bleiben"
},
{
"_dis1": "11 14 75",
"code": "it",
"lang": "Italian",
"lang_code": "it",
"sense": "of a machine: to stop working suddenly, and become impossible to start again",
"word": "gripparsi"
},
{
"_dis1": "11 14 75",
"code": "es",
"lang": "Spanish",
"lang_code": "es",
"sense": "of a machine: to stop working suddenly, and become impossible to start again",
"word": "agarrotarse"
},
{
"_dis1": "11 14 75",
"code": "es",
"lang": "Spanish",
"lang_code": "es",
"sense": "of a machine: to stop working suddenly, and become impossible to start again",
"word": "trabarse"
},
{
"_dis1": "11 14 75",
"code": "es",
"lang": "Spanish",
"lang_code": "es",
"sense": "of a machine: to stop working suddenly, and become impossible to start again",
"word": "atascarse"
},
{
"_dis1": "11 14 75",
"code": "es",
"lang": "Spanish",
"lang_code": "es",
"sense": "of a machine: to stop working suddenly, and become impossible to start again",
"word": "paralizarse"
},
{
"_dis1": "11 14 75",
"code": "es",
"lang": "Spanish",
"lang_code": "es",
"sense": "of a machine: to stop working suddenly, and become impossible to start again",
"word": "atrancarse"
},
{
"_dis1": "11 14 75",
"code": "es",
"lang": "Spanish",
"lang_code": "es",
"sense": "of a machine: to stop working suddenly, and become impossible to start again",
"word": "frisarse"
},
{
"_dis1": "11 14 75",
"code": "tr",
"lang": "Turkish",
"lang_code": "tr",
"sense": "of a machine: to stop working suddenly, and become impossible to start again",
"word": "tutukluk yapmak"
}
]
}
],
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"enpr": "sēz′ ŭp′"
},
{
"ipa": "/ˈsiːz ˌʌp/",
"tags": [
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"word": "seize up"
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"text": "In the 2004 film A Day Without a Mexican, Sergio Arau imagines, in mockumentary style, what would happen to California if its entire Mexican-immigrant population vanished. With so many housekeepers and farmworkers, teachers and gardeners, line cooks and police gone, the state seizes up.",
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"text": "All of this has spooked the world’s investors. The bond market seized up after Trump’s “Liberation Day” tariff announcement, as some analysts wondered whether the Fed would have to step in to provide liquidity.",
"type": "quotation"
}
],
"glosses": [
"To stop functioning; to come to a halt."
],
"links": [
[
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[
"halt",
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],
"raw_glosses": [
"(figuratively) To stop functioning; to come to a halt."
],
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"word": "freeze"
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{
"word": "freeze up"
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{
"word": "grind to a halt"
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157,
165
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"ref": "2012 June 19, Amelia Hill, quoting Tony Nicklinson, “Man with locked-in syndrome calls for change to murder law”, in The Guardian, →ISSN, archived from the original on 18 Sep 2019:",
"text": "I have had over six years to think about my future and it does not look good. I … can expect no cure or improvement in my condition as my muscles and joints seize up through lack of use.",
"type": "quotation"
}
],
"glosses": [
"To stiffen or become tight and difficult to move."
],
"links": [
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"muscle",
"muscle"
],
[
"stiffen",
"stiffen"
],
[
"tight",
"tight"
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"raw_glosses": [
"(of muscles) To stiffen or become tight and difficult to move."
],
"raw_tags": [
"of muscles"
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"To stop working suddenly, and become impossible to start again."
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"machine",
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"(of a machine) To stop working suddenly, and become impossible to start again."
],
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],
"sounds": [
{
"enpr": "sēz′ ŭp′"
},
{
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"New-Zealand"
]
},
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],
"translations": [
{
"code": "fi",
"lang": "Finnish",
"lang_code": "fi",
"sense": "figuratively: to stop functioning; to come to a halt",
"word": "lakata toimimasta"
},
{
"code": "fi",
"lang": "Finnish",
"lang_code": "fi",
"sense": "of muscles: to stiffen or become tight and difficult to move",
"word": "mennä lukkoon"
},
{
"code": "de",
"lang": "German",
"lang_code": "de",
"sense": "of muscles: to stiffen or become tight and difficult to move",
"word": "verhärten"
},
{
"code": "it",
"lang": "Italian",
"lang_code": "it",
"sense": "of muscles: to stiffen or become tight and difficult to move",
"word": "intorpidirsi"
},
{
"code": "ru",
"lang": "Russian",
"lang_code": "ru",
"roman": "svodítʹ",
"sense": "of muscles: to stiffen or become tight and difficult to move",
"tags": [
"imperfective"
],
"word": "своди́ть"
},
{
"code": "ru",
"lang": "Russian",
"lang_code": "ru",
"roman": "svestí",
"sense": "of muscles: to stiffen or become tight and difficult to move",
"tags": [
"perfective"
],
"word": "свести́"
},
{
"code": "es",
"lang": "Spanish",
"lang_code": "es",
"sense": "of muscles: to stiffen or become tight and difficult to move",
"word": "agarrotarse"
},
{
"code": "tr",
"lang": "Turkish",
"lang_code": "tr",
"sense": "of muscles: to stiffen or become tight and difficult to move",
"word": "tutulmak"
},
{
"code": "fi",
"lang": "Finnish",
"lang_code": "fi",
"sense": "of a machine: to stop working suddenly, and become impossible to start again",
"word": "lakata toimimasta"
},
{
"code": "fi",
"english": "engine",
"lang": "Finnish",
"lang_code": "fi",
"sense": "of a machine: to stop working suddenly, and become impossible to start again",
"translation": "engine",
"word": "leikata kiinni"
},
{
"code": "fi",
"english": "engine",
"lang": "Finnish",
"lang_code": "fi",
"sense": "of a machine: to stop working suddenly, and become impossible to start again",
"tags": [
"informal"
],
"translation": "engine",
"word": "hirttää kiinni"
},
{
"code": "fr",
"lang": "French",
"lang_code": "fr",
"sense": "of a machine: to stop working suddenly, and become impossible to start again",
"word": "se gripper"
},
{
"code": "de",
"lang": "German",
"lang_code": "de",
"sense": "of a machine: to stop working suddenly, and become impossible to start again",
"word": "blockieren"
},
{
"code": "de",
"english": "engine",
"lang": "German",
"lang_code": "de",
"sense": "of a machine: to stop working suddenly, and become impossible to start again",
"translation": "engine",
"word": "festfressen"
},
{
"code": "de",
"english": "moving piece; reflexive",
"lang": "German",
"lang_code": "de",
"sense": "of a machine: to stop working suddenly, and become impossible to start again",
"translation": "moving piece; reflexive",
"word": "verklemmen"
},
{
"code": "de",
"english": "car",
"lang": "German",
"lang_code": "de",
"sense": "of a machine: to stop working suddenly, and become impossible to start again",
"translation": "car",
"word": "liegen bleiben"
},
{
"code": "it",
"lang": "Italian",
"lang_code": "it",
"sense": "of a machine: to stop working suddenly, and become impossible to start again",
"word": "gripparsi"
},
{
"code": "es",
"lang": "Spanish",
"lang_code": "es",
"sense": "of a machine: to stop working suddenly, and become impossible to start again",
"word": "agarrotarse"
},
{
"code": "es",
"lang": "Spanish",
"lang_code": "es",
"sense": "of a machine: to stop working suddenly, and become impossible to start again",
"word": "trabarse"
},
{
"code": "es",
"lang": "Spanish",
"lang_code": "es",
"sense": "of a machine: to stop working suddenly, and become impossible to start again",
"word": "atascarse"
},
{
"code": "es",
"lang": "Spanish",
"lang_code": "es",
"sense": "of a machine: to stop working suddenly, and become impossible to start again",
"word": "paralizarse"
},
{
"code": "es",
"lang": "Spanish",
"lang_code": "es",
"sense": "of a machine: to stop working suddenly, and become impossible to start again",
"word": "atrancarse"
},
{
"code": "es",
"lang": "Spanish",
"lang_code": "es",
"sense": "of a machine: to stop working suddenly, and become impossible to start again",
"word": "frisarse"
},
{
"code": "tr",
"lang": "Turkish",
"lang_code": "tr",
"sense": "of a machine: to stop working suddenly, and become impossible to start again",
"word": "tutukluk yapmak"
}
],
"word": "seize up"
}
Download raw JSONL data for seize up meaning in English (9.4kB)
This page is a part of the kaikki.org machine-readable English dictionary. This dictionary is based on structured data extracted on 2026-03-25 from the enwiktionary dump dated 2026-03-03 using wiktextract (05c257f and 9d9a410). The data shown on this site has been post-processed and various details (e.g., extra categories) removed, some information disambiguated, and additional data merged from other sources. See the raw data download page for the unprocessed wiktextract data.
If you use this data in academic research, please cite Tatu Ylonen: Wiktextract: Wiktionary as Machine-Readable Structured Data, Proceedings of the 13th Conference on Language Resources and Evaluation (LREC), pp. 1317-1325, Marseille, 20-25 June 2022. Linking to the relevant page(s) under https://kaikki.org would also be greatly appreciated.