seize on/upon something

seize | Business English

seize
verb[ T ]
uk /siːz/us
LAW
if the police or government seizes property or assets, they take possession of them because they are illegal, or because the owner owes money:
Customs agents last year seized $14 million in counterfeit electronics goods at the nation's ports.
seize assets/property
LAW, GOVERNMENT US
if the government or other official authority seizes a company, they stop it from trading because of illegal activity or debts:
The government has threatened to seize any business that does not sell goods at the advertised price.
to take advantage of something that is available:
seize a challenge/opportunity
A Malaysian tycoon seized the chance to bid for the company, and won.
By having a contract already prepared, you may be able to seize the initiative in negotiations.
to take control of something, especially when others are trying to stop you:
seize control/powerDisgruntled shareholders tried to oust the board and seize control of the company.
In finance, telecoms, media, and technology, there is thought to be a rare opportunity to seize global market share.

Examples of seize

seize
The same theory of franchises that justified granting and seizing corporate privileges also justified modifying them by these means.
Two further oxen were seized as heriots, one compounded for £10 and the other for £15.
They use strong words like seizing and pinned, while mutant implies that what we know can suddenly become unknown.
Moreover, legal actions were instituted and property and buildings were seized from non-payers in an attempt to recover some of the payment arrears.
His book is intellectually stimulating; he delights in seizing an idea and worrying at it, like a cat toying with a mouse.
Critics of talk of distributive justice have seized upon this "handout" element as a reason for avoiding such talk.
Moreover, on the day that ' ' it seized power in 1976, the military junta issued a decree removing all justices.
They were active innovators who seized political opportunities as they unfolded during this critical historical moment.
The histories also record the cases of emperors who seized women for their court harem.
In many cases those collectively held accountable for debts were also seized and even sold.
Faced with political marginalization he acted against the clique who controlled the capital and seized the throne in 1290.
If they strayed across the line, they could be seized by the police or stolen by villagers on the other side.
In 1966 a military junta committed to moderately liberal economic policies seized power and began to plan a complete overhaul of the pension system.
Rather, groups only need repeat the already existing symbols that the media have seized upon as the most important in the current crisis.
Rather, it has been seized upon by authors from various countries and disciplines who are concerned with broader issues of governance.
See all examples of seize
These examples are from corpora and from sources on the web. Any opinions in the examples do not represent the opinion of the Cambridge Dictionary editors or of Cambridge University Press or its licensors.