seized

[ seezd ]

adjective

1. taken hold, possession, or control of, as by force or legal authority; confiscated, captured, or appropriated:

   Police say the seized property includes knives, computer equipment, a balaclava, and military clothing.

   Settlers were observed planting olive trees on illegally seized land.

2. (of an opportunity) taken advantage of promptly:

   Everything that Mom and I had accomplished was rooted firmly in the soil of hard work and seized opportunities.

3. (of moving parts) locked or jammed, as from excessive friction (often followed by up ):

   I gladly pay top dollar for lubricants and fluids, because I know it's far more expensive to have to rebuild a seized engine!

4. having ceased to function; having come to a halt (often followed by up ):

   Businesses need to access credit lines to function, but now the credit market is totally seized up.

5. fully understood; mentally grasped:

   People who need cognitive closure will absorb a statement early in the process of acquiring knowledge, "freeze" on that seized idea, and resist further information.

6. (of melted chocolate) grainy and clumpy from overheating or from contact with a small amount of moisture:

   To reverse the reaction, add more liquid, but just enough to dissolve most of the sugar and cocoa particles in the seized chocolate clumps.

verb

1. the simple past tense and past participle of seize.

Other Words From

• un·seized adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of seized¹

seize ( def ) + -ed ²( def )

Example Sentences

Some of the items seized from a police raid of their home include, external a black face mask, an Empire script, phone, receipts, a red hat and bleach.

From BBC

The 10-year-old’s letters and notebook were seized by police after her body was found with dozens of injuries at the family’s home in Woking, Surrey, last year.

From BBC

Its analysis found Russian forces seized six times more territory in 2024 than it did in the previous year.

From BBC

For comparison, Ukrainian forces seized just over 1,171 sq km in the first month of its incursion into Kursk - though Russian forces have now retaken nearly half of that territory.

From BBC

The driver gets out of the other side of the vehicle and is then seized by bystanders who start beating him with sticks.

From BBC

Related Words

• captured