"seize upon" meaning in English

See seize upon in All languages combined, or Wiktionary

Verb

Forms: seizes upon [present, singular, third-person], seizing upon [participle, present], seized upon [participle, past], seized upon [past]
Head templates: {{en-verb|*}} seize upon (third-person singular simple present seizes upon, present participle seizing upon, simple past and past participle seized upon)
  1. To grasp or take hold of (an object) suddenly, forcibly, or tightly. Synonyms (take hold of): fasten on, hook on, latch on
    Sense id: en-seize_upon-en-verb-yw9dX1k~ Disambiguation of 'take hold of': 79 13 8
  2. To take up, embrace, enact, or turn eagerly to (a plan, idea, ideology, cause, practice, method, etc.); to grasp, understand, and accept quickly; to adopt wholeheartedly or vigorously.
    Sense id: en-seize_upon-en-verb-muW5JGB8 Categories (other): English entries with incorrect language header, English phrasal verbs formed with "upon", Pages with 1 entry, Pages with entries Disambiguation of English entries with incorrect language header: 27 44 29 Disambiguation of English phrasal verbs formed with "upon": 25 56 19 Disambiguation of Pages with 1 entry: 28 52 20 Disambiguation of Pages with entries: 29 50 21
  3. To take possession of or claim (an idea, person, event, etc.) as one's own; to assimilate, absorb, annex, co-opt.
    Sense id: en-seize_upon-en-verb-H0bfrOxA
The following are not (yet) sense-disambiguated
Synonyms: seize on Related terms: seize up

Inflected forms

Alternative forms

{
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "seizes upon",
      "tags": [
        "present",
        "singular",
        "third-person"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "seizing upon",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "present"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "seized upon",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "past"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "seized upon",
      "tags": [
        "past"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "*"
      },
      "expansion": "seize upon (third-person singular simple present seizes upon, present participle seizing upon, simple past and past participle seized upon)",
      "name": "en-verb"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "verb",
  "related": [
    {
      "_dis1": "39 43 18",
      "word": "seize up"
    }
  ],
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [],
      "examples": [
        {
          "text": "The child seized upon the cat's tail as soon as it was within reach.",
          "type": "example"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "To grasp or take hold of (an object) suddenly, forcibly, or tightly."
      ],
      "id": "en-seize_upon-en-verb-yw9dX1k~",
      "links": [
        [
          "grasp",
          "grasp"
        ],
        [
          "take hold",
          "take hold"
        ],
        [
          "suddenly",
          "suddenly"
        ],
        [
          "forcibly",
          "forcibly"
        ],
        [
          "tightly",
          "tightly"
        ]
      ],
      "synonyms": [
        {
          "_dis1": "79 13 8",
          "sense": "take hold of",
          "word": "fasten on"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "79 13 8",
          "sense": "take hold of",
          "word": "hook on"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "79 13 8",
          "sense": "take hold of",
          "word": "latch on"
        }
      ]
    },
    {
      "categories": [
        {
          "_dis": "27 44 29",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English entries with incorrect language header",
          "parents": [
            "Entries with incorrect language header",
            "Entry maintenance"
          ],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "25 56 19",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English phrasal verbs formed with \"upon\"",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "28 52 20",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Pages with 1 entry",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "29 50 21",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Pages with entries",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        }
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "text": "I heard her ideas and seized upon them immediately.",
          "type": "example"
        },
        {
          "text": "The committee seized upon the new plan at once.",
          "type": "example"
        },
        {
          "ref": "1910, Emerson Hough, chapter I, in The Purchase Price: Or The Cause of Compromise, Indianapolis, Ind.: The Bobbs-Merrill Company, →OCLC:",
          "text": "Captain Edward Carlisle, soldier as he was, martinet as he was, felt a curious sensation of helplessness seize upon him as he met her steady gaze, her alluring smile; he could not tell what this prisoner might do.",
          "type": "quote"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "To take up, embrace, enact, or turn eagerly to (a plan, idea, ideology, cause, practice, method, etc.); to grasp, understand, and accept quickly; to adopt wholeheartedly or vigorously."
      ],
      "id": "en-seize_upon-en-verb-muW5JGB8",
      "links": [
        [
          "take up",
          "take up"
        ],
        [
          "embrace",
          "embrace"
        ],
        [
          "enact",
          "enact"
        ],
        [
          "grasp",
          "grasp"
        ],
        [
          "understand",
          "understand"
        ],
        [
          "accept",
          "accept"
        ],
        [
          "adopt",
          "adopt"
        ],
        [
          "wholehearted",
          "wholehearted"
        ],
        [
          "vigorous",
          "vigorous"
        ]
      ]
    },
    {
      "categories": [],
      "examples": [
        {
          "text": "After the controversy of her public statement, she has been the darling of right-wing groups who have seized upon her as the poster child of their cause.",
          "type": "example"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "To take possession of or claim (an idea, person, event, etc.) as one's own; to assimilate, absorb, annex, co-opt."
      ],
      "id": "en-seize_upon-en-verb-H0bfrOxA",
      "links": [
        [
          "possession",
          "possession"
        ],
        [
          "claim",
          "claim"
        ],
        [
          "assimilate",
          "assimilate"
        ],
        [
          "absorb",
          "absorb"
        ],
        [
          "annex",
          "annex"
        ],
        [
          "co-opt",
          "co-opt"
        ]
      ]
    }
  ],
  "synonyms": [
    {
      "_dis1": "39 43 18",
      "word": "seize on"
    }
  ],
  "word": "seize upon"
}
{
  "categories": [
    "English entries with incorrect language header",
    "English lemmas",
    "English multiword terms",
    "English phrasal verbs",
    "English phrasal verbs formed with \"upon\"",
    "English verbs",
    "Pages with 1 entry",
    "Pages with entries"
  ],
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "seizes upon",
      "tags": [
        "present",
        "singular",
        "third-person"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "seizing upon",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "present"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "seized upon",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "past"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "seized upon",
      "tags": [
        "past"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "*"
      },
      "expansion": "seize upon (third-person singular simple present seizes upon, present participle seizing upon, simple past and past participle seized upon)",
      "name": "en-verb"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "verb",
  "related": [
    {
      "word": "seize up"
    }
  ],
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        "English terms with usage examples"
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "text": "The child seized upon the cat's tail as soon as it was within reach.",
          "type": "example"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "To grasp or take hold of (an object) suddenly, forcibly, or tightly."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "grasp",
          "grasp"
        ],
        [
          "take hold",
          "take hold"
        ],
        [
          "suddenly",
          "suddenly"
        ],
        [
          "forcibly",
          "forcibly"
        ],
        [
          "tightly",
          "tightly"
        ]
      ]
    },
    {
      "categories": [
        "English terms with quotations",
        "English terms with usage examples"
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "text": "I heard her ideas and seized upon them immediately.",
          "type": "example"
        },
        {
          "text": "The committee seized upon the new plan at once.",
          "type": "example"
        },
        {
          "ref": "1910, Emerson Hough, chapter I, in The Purchase Price: Or The Cause of Compromise, Indianapolis, Ind.: The Bobbs-Merrill Company, →OCLC:",
          "text": "Captain Edward Carlisle, soldier as he was, martinet as he was, felt a curious sensation of helplessness seize upon him as he met her steady gaze, her alluring smile; he could not tell what this prisoner might do.",
          "type": "quote"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "To take up, embrace, enact, or turn eagerly to (a plan, idea, ideology, cause, practice, method, etc.); to grasp, understand, and accept quickly; to adopt wholeheartedly or vigorously."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "take up",
          "take up"
        ],
        [
          "embrace",
          "embrace"
        ],
        [
          "enact",
          "enact"
        ],
        [
          "grasp",
          "grasp"
        ],
        [
          "understand",
          "understand"
        ],
        [
          "accept",
          "accept"
        ],
        [
          "adopt",
          "adopt"
        ],
        [
          "wholehearted",
          "wholehearted"
        ],
        [
          "vigorous",
          "vigorous"
        ]
      ]
    },
    {
      "categories": [
        "English terms with usage examples"
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "text": "After the controversy of her public statement, she has been the darling of right-wing groups who have seized upon her as the poster child of their cause.",
          "type": "example"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "To take possession of or claim (an idea, person, event, etc.) as one's own; to assimilate, absorb, annex, co-opt."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "possession",
          "possession"
        ],
        [
          "claim",
          "claim"
        ],
        [
          "assimilate",
          "assimilate"
        ],
        [
          "absorb",
          "absorb"
        ],
        [
          "annex",
          "annex"
        ],
        [
          "co-opt",
          "co-opt"
        ]
      ]
    }
  ],
  "synonyms": [
    {
      "sense": "take hold of",
      "word": "fasten on"
    },
    {
      "sense": "take hold of",
      "word": "hook on"
    },
    {
      "sense": "take hold of",
      "word": "latch on"
    },
    {
      "word": "seize on"
    }
  ],
  "word": "seize upon"
}

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This page is a part of the kaikki.org machine-readable English dictionary. This dictionary is based on structured data extracted on 2025-01-10 from the enwiktionary dump dated 2025-01-01 using wiktextract (df33d17 and 4ed51a5). 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.