seize on

Idioms

Also, seize upon.
Grab or take hold of suddenly, as in He seized on the bell rope and started to pull vigorously , or She seized upon every opportunity to present her side of the story . [Late 1600s]
Resort to some action, especially out of dire necessity, as in He seized upon any excuse, no matter how farfetched .

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Garden Investments sees a chance for Fortune Brands to be able to seize on a similar opportunity, the people familiar with the matter said.

From The Wall Street Journal

The three tankers were seized on the same day India and the U.S. issued an official statement announcing the deal.

From The Wall Street Journal

Abbott was targeted in the first half as Leeds seized on his inexperience - although Leeds' goals were ultimately down to a collective failure.

From BBC

Merchants on e-commerce site Taobao are also seizing on the trend, coming up with stickers and magnets featuring the Harry Potter character.

From BBC

Its exact destination when it was seized on Thursday is unknown, but it appeared to be sailing toward the Suez Canal, the fastest route between Asia and Europe, according to analytics firm MarineTraffic.

From The Wall Street Journal

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023