Seize

seize
verb1take hold of; grab; "The sales clerk quickly seized the money on the counter"; "She clutched her purse"; "The mother seized her child by the arm"; "Birds of prey often seize small mammals"2take or capture by force; "The terrorists seized the politicians"; "The rebels threaten to seize civilian hostages"3take possession of by force, as after an invasion; "the invaders seized the land and property of the inhabitants"; "The army seized the town"; "The militia captured the castle"[syn: appropriate]4take temporary possession of as a security, by legal authority; "The FBI seized the drugs"; "The customs agents impounded the illegal shipment"; "The police confiscated the stolen artwork"[syn: impound]5seize and take control without authority and possibly with force; take as one's right or possession; "He assumed to himself the right to fill all positions in the town"; "he usurped my rights"; "She seized control of the throne after her husband died"[syn: assume]6hook by a pull on the line; "strike a fish"7affect; "Fear seized the prisoners"; "The patient was seized with unbearable pains"; "He was seized with a dreadful disease"8capture the attention or imagination of; "This story will grab you"; "The movie seized my imagination"[syn: grab]