"seize up" meaning in English

See seize up in All languages combined, or Wiktionary

Verb

Forms: seizes up [present, singular, third-person], seizing up [participle, present], seized up [participle, past], seized up [past]
Etymology: 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. Head templates: {{en-verb|*}} seize up (third-person singular simple present seizes up, present participle seizing up, simple past and past participle seized up)
  1. (figuratively) To stop functioning; to come to a halt. Tags: figuratively Synonyms: freeze, freeze up, grind to a halt Related terms: seize upon
    Sense id: en-seize_up-en-verb-SPq9--vO Categories (other): English entries with incorrect language header, English phrasal verbs formed with "up", Entries with translation boxes, Pages with 1 entry, Pages with entries, Terms with Finnish translations, Terms with French translations, Terms with German translations, Terms with Italian translations, Terms with Russian translations, Terms with Spanish translations, Terms with Turkish translations Disambiguation of English entries with incorrect language header: 89 5 6 Disambiguation of English phrasal verbs formed with "up": 79 9 12 Disambiguation of Entries with translation boxes: 85 7 8 Disambiguation of Pages with 1 entry: 81 8 11 Disambiguation of Pages with entries: 89 5 6 Disambiguation of Terms with Finnish translations: 82 8 10 Disambiguation of Terms with French translations: 77 11 12 Disambiguation of Terms with German translations: 79 9 11 Disambiguation of Terms with Italian translations: 84 7 8 Disambiguation of Terms with Russian translations: 83 8 9 Disambiguation of Terms with Spanish translations: 81 9 10 Disambiguation of Terms with Turkish translations: 80 9 11
  2. (of muscles) To stiffen or become tight and difficult to move. Translations (muscles stiffen): mennä lukkoon (Finnish), verhärten (German), intorpidirsi (Italian), своди́ть (svodítʹ) [imperfective] (Russian), свести́ (svestí) [perfective] (Russian), agarrotarse (Spanish), tutulmak (Turkish)
    Sense id: en-seize_up-en-verb-qHlktEj5 Disambiguation of 'muscles stiffen': 16 77 7
  3. (of a machine) To stop working suddenly, and become impossible to start again. Translations (machine stop working): lakata toimimasta (Finnish), leikata kiinni (english: engine) (Finnish), hirttää kiinni (english: engine) [informal] (Finnish), se gripper (French), blockieren (German), festfressen (english: engine) (German), verklemmen (english: moving piece; reflexive) (German), liegen bleiben (english: car) (German), gripparsi (Italian), agarrotarse (Spanish), trabarse (Spanish), atascarse (Spanish), paralizarse (Spanish), atrancarse (Spanish), frisarse [Latin-America] (Spanish), tutukluk yapmak (Turkish)
    Sense id: en-seize_up-en-verb-KG~nvtZd Disambiguation of 'machine stop working': 27 2 71

Inflected forms

{
  "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.",
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "seizes up",
      "tags": [
        "present",
        "singular",
        "third-person"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "seizing up",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "present"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "seized up",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "past"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "seized up",
      "tags": [
        "past"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "*"
      },
      "expansion": "seize up (third-person singular simple present seizes up, present participle seizing up, simple past and past participle seized up)",
      "name": "en-verb"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "verb",
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        {
          "_dis": "89 5 6",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English entries with incorrect language header",
          "parents": [
            "Entries with incorrect language header",
            "Entry maintenance"
          ],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "79 9 12",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English phrasal verbs formed with \"up\"",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "85 7 8",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Entries with translation boxes",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "81 8 11",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Pages with 1 entry",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "89 5 6",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Pages with entries",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "82 8 10",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Terms with Finnish translations",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "77 11 12",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Terms with French translations",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "79 9 11",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Terms with German translations",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "84 7 8",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Terms with Italian translations",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "83 8 9",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Terms with Russian translations",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "81 9 10",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Terms with Spanish translations",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "80 9 11",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Terms with Turkish translations",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        }
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "text": "Iceland's foreign currency market has seized up after the three largest banks collapsed.",
          "type": "example"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "To stop functioning; to come to a halt."
      ],
      "id": "en-seize_up-en-verb-SPq9--vO",
      "links": [
        [
          "stop",
          "stop"
        ],
        [
          "halt",
          "halt"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(figuratively) To stop functioning; to come to a halt."
      ],
      "related": [
        {
          "_dis1": "80 10 9",
          "word": "seize upon"
        }
      ],
      "synonyms": [
        {
          "word": "freeze"
        },
        {
          "word": "freeze up"
        },
        {
          "word": "grind to a halt"
        }
      ],
      "tags": [
        "figuratively"
      ]
    },
    {
      "categories": [],
      "examples": [
        {
          "text": "It was hard to write as my fingers had seized up with the cold weather.",
          "type": "example"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "To stiffen or become tight and difficult to move."
      ],
      "id": "en-seize_up-en-verb-qHlktEj5",
      "links": [
        [
          "muscles",
          "muscles"
        ],
        [
          "stiffen",
          "stiffen"
        ],
        [
          "tight",
          "tight"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(of muscles) To stiffen or become tight and difficult to move."
      ],
      "raw_tags": [
        "of muscles"
      ],
      "translations": [
        {
          "_dis1": "16 77 7",
          "code": "fi",
          "lang": "Finnish",
          "sense": "muscles stiffen",
          "word": "mennä lukkoon"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "16 77 7",
          "code": "de",
          "lang": "German",
          "sense": "muscles stiffen",
          "word": "verhärten"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "16 77 7",
          "code": "it",
          "lang": "Italian",
          "sense": "muscles stiffen",
          "word": "intorpidirsi"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "16 77 7",
          "code": "ru",
          "lang": "Russian",
          "roman": "svodítʹ",
          "sense": "muscles stiffen",
          "tags": [
            "imperfective"
          ],
          "word": "своди́ть"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "16 77 7",
          "code": "ru",
          "lang": "Russian",
          "roman": "svestí",
          "sense": "muscles stiffen",
          "tags": [
            "perfective"
          ],
          "word": "свести́"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "16 77 7",
          "code": "es",
          "lang": "Spanish",
          "sense": "muscles stiffen",
          "word": "agarrotarse"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "16 77 7",
          "code": "tr",
          "lang": "Turkish",
          "sense": "muscles stiffen",
          "word": "tutulmak"
        }
      ]
    },
    {
      "categories": [],
      "examples": [
        {
          "text": "My car seized up this morning. So I had to catch the bus.",
          "type": "example"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "To stop working suddenly, and become impossible to start again."
      ],
      "id": "en-seize_up-en-verb-KG~nvtZd",
      "links": [
        [
          "machine",
          "machine"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(of a machine) To stop working suddenly, and become impossible to start again."
      ],
      "raw_tags": [
        "of a machine"
      ],
      "translations": [
        {
          "_dis1": "27 2 71",
          "code": "fi",
          "lang": "Finnish",
          "sense": "machine stop working",
          "word": "lakata toimimasta"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "27 2 71",
          "code": "fi",
          "english": "engine",
          "lang": "Finnish",
          "sense": "machine stop working",
          "word": "leikata kiinni"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "27 2 71",
          "code": "fi",
          "english": "engine",
          "lang": "Finnish",
          "sense": "machine stop working",
          "tags": [
            "informal"
          ],
          "word": "hirttää kiinni"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "27 2 71",
          "code": "fr",
          "lang": "French",
          "sense": "machine stop working",
          "word": "se gripper"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "27 2 71",
          "code": "de",
          "lang": "German",
          "sense": "machine stop working",
          "word": "blockieren"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "27 2 71",
          "code": "de",
          "english": "engine",
          "lang": "German",
          "sense": "machine stop working",
          "word": "festfressen"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "27 2 71",
          "code": "de",
          "english": "moving piece; reflexive",
          "lang": "German",
          "sense": "machine stop working",
          "word": "verklemmen"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "27 2 71",
          "code": "de",
          "english": "car",
          "lang": "German",
          "sense": "machine stop working",
          "word": "liegen bleiben"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "27 2 71",
          "code": "it",
          "lang": "Italian",
          "sense": "machine stop working",
          "word": "gripparsi"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "27 2 71",
          "code": "es",
          "lang": "Spanish",
          "sense": "machine stop working",
          "word": "agarrotarse"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "27 2 71",
          "code": "es",
          "lang": "Spanish",
          "sense": "machine stop working",
          "word": "trabarse"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "27 2 71",
          "code": "es",
          "lang": "Spanish",
          "sense": "machine stop working",
          "word": "atascarse"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "27 2 71",
          "code": "es",
          "lang": "Spanish",
          "sense": "machine stop working",
          "word": "paralizarse"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "27 2 71",
          "code": "es",
          "lang": "Spanish",
          "sense": "machine stop working",
          "word": "atrancarse"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "27 2 71",
          "code": "es",
          "lang": "Spanish",
          "sense": "machine stop working",
          "tags": [
            "Latin-America"
          ],
          "word": "frisarse"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "27 2 71",
          "code": "tr",
          "lang": "Turkish",
          "sense": "machine stop working",
          "word": "tutukluk yapmak"
        }
      ]
    }
  ],
  "word": "seize up"
}
{
  "categories": [
    "English entries with incorrect language header",
    "English lemmas",
    "English multiword terms",
    "English phrasal verbs",
    "English phrasal verbs formed with \"up\"",
    "English verbs",
    "Entries with translation boxes",
    "Pages with 1 entry",
    "Pages with entries",
    "Terms with Finnish translations",
    "Terms with French translations",
    "Terms with German translations",
    "Terms with Italian translations",
    "Terms with Russian translations",
    "Terms with Spanish translations",
    "Terms with Turkish translations"
  ],
  "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.",
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "seizes up",
      "tags": [
        "present",
        "singular",
        "third-person"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "seizing up",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "present"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "seized up",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "past"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "seized up",
      "tags": [
        "past"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "*"
      },
      "expansion": "seize up (third-person singular simple present seizes up, present participle seizing up, simple past and past participle seized up)",
      "name": "en-verb"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "verb",
  "related": [
    {
      "word": "seize upon"
    }
  ],
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        "English terms with usage examples"
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "text": "Iceland's foreign currency market has seized up after the three largest banks collapsed.",
          "type": "example"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "To stop functioning; to come to a halt."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "stop",
          "stop"
        ],
        [
          "halt",
          "halt"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(figuratively) To stop functioning; to come to a halt."
      ],
      "synonyms": [
        {
          "word": "freeze"
        },
        {
          "word": "freeze up"
        },
        {
          "word": "grind to a halt"
        }
      ],
      "tags": [
        "figuratively"
      ]
    },
    {
      "categories": [
        "English terms with usage examples"
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "text": "It was hard to write as my fingers had seized up with the cold weather.",
          "type": "example"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "To stiffen or become tight and difficult to move."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "muscles",
          "muscles"
        ],
        [
          "stiffen",
          "stiffen"
        ],
        [
          "tight",
          "tight"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(of muscles) To stiffen or become tight and difficult to move."
      ],
      "raw_tags": [
        "of muscles"
      ]
    },
    {
      "categories": [
        "English terms with usage examples"
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "text": "My car seized up this morning. So I had to catch the bus.",
          "type": "example"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "To stop working suddenly, and become impossible to start again."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "machine",
          "machine"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(of a machine) To stop working suddenly, and become impossible to start again."
      ],
      "raw_tags": [
        "of a machine"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "translations": [
    {
      "code": "fi",
      "lang": "Finnish",
      "sense": "muscles stiffen",
      "word": "mennä lukkoon"
    },
    {
      "code": "de",
      "lang": "German",
      "sense": "muscles stiffen",
      "word": "verhärten"
    },
    {
      "code": "it",
      "lang": "Italian",
      "sense": "muscles stiffen",
      "word": "intorpidirsi"
    },
    {
      "code": "ru",
      "lang": "Russian",
      "roman": "svodítʹ",
      "sense": "muscles stiffen",
      "tags": [
        "imperfective"
      ],
      "word": "своди́ть"
    },
    {
      "code": "ru",
      "lang": "Russian",
      "roman": "svestí",
      "sense": "muscles stiffen",
      "tags": [
        "perfective"
      ],
      "word": "свести́"
    },
    {
      "code": "es",
      "lang": "Spanish",
      "sense": "muscles stiffen",
      "word": "agarrotarse"
    },
    {
      "code": "tr",
      "lang": "Turkish",
      "sense": "muscles stiffen",
      "word": "tutulmak"
    },
    {
      "code": "fi",
      "lang": "Finnish",
      "sense": "machine stop working",
      "word": "lakata toimimasta"
    },
    {
      "code": "fi",
      "english": "engine",
      "lang": "Finnish",
      "sense": "machine stop working",
      "word": "leikata kiinni"
    },
    {
      "code": "fi",
      "english": "engine",
      "lang": "Finnish",
      "sense": "machine stop working",
      "tags": [
        "informal"
      ],
      "word": "hirttää kiinni"
    },
    {
      "code": "fr",
      "lang": "French",
      "sense": "machine stop working",
      "word": "se gripper"
    },
    {
      "code": "de",
      "lang": "German",
      "sense": "machine stop working",
      "word": "blockieren"
    },
    {
      "code": "de",
      "english": "engine",
      "lang": "German",
      "sense": "machine stop working",
      "word": "festfressen"
    },
    {
      "code": "de",
      "english": "moving piece; reflexive",
      "lang": "German",
      "sense": "machine stop working",
      "word": "verklemmen"
    },
    {
      "code": "de",
      "english": "car",
      "lang": "German",
      "sense": "machine stop working",
      "word": "liegen bleiben"
    },
    {
      "code": "it",
      "lang": "Italian",
      "sense": "machine stop working",
      "word": "gripparsi"
    },
    {
      "code": "es",
      "lang": "Spanish",
      "sense": "machine stop working",
      "word": "agarrotarse"
    },
    {
      "code": "es",
      "lang": "Spanish",
      "sense": "machine stop working",
      "word": "trabarse"
    },
    {
      "code": "es",
      "lang": "Spanish",
      "sense": "machine stop working",
      "word": "atascarse"
    },
    {
      "code": "es",
      "lang": "Spanish",
      "sense": "machine stop working",
      "word": "paralizarse"
    },
    {
      "code": "es",
      "lang": "Spanish",
      "sense": "machine stop working",
      "word": "atrancarse"
    },
    {
      "code": "es",
      "lang": "Spanish",
      "sense": "machine stop working",
      "tags": [
        "Latin-America"
      ],
      "word": "frisarse"
    },
    {
      "code": "tr",
      "lang": "Turkish",
      "sense": "machine stop working",
      "word": "tutukluk yapmak"
    }
  ],
  "word": "seize up"
}

Download raw JSONL data for seize up meaning in English (4.8kB)


This page is a part of the kaikki.org machine-readable English dictionary. This dictionary is based on structured data extracted on 2024-12-15 from the enwiktionary dump dated 2024-12-04 using wiktextract (8a39820 and 4401a4c). 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.