Dictionary

seize up en · VERB

Pronunciation

• /ˌsiːz ˈɐp/ (Australia, New-Zealand)
• /ˌsiz ˈʌp/ (Canada, General-American, Scotland)
• /ˌsiːz ˈʌp/ (Received-Pronunciation)
• (Southern-England) audio

Etymology

The term originates c. 1870 referring to a machine which jammed up because of excessive heat or friction; it has been used figuratively since c. 1950.

Meanings

1. (figuratively, intransitive) To stop functioning; to come to a halt.
   • All of this has spooked the world’s investors. The bond market seized up after Trump’s “Liberation Day” tariff announcement, as some analysts wondered whether the Fed would have to step in to provide liquidity. 2025 April 25, Annie Lowrey, “What Would Be Worse Than a Recession?”, in The Atlantic, archived from the original on 28 Apr 2025:
   • In the 2004 film A Day Without a Mexican, Sergio Arau imagines, in mockumentary style, what would happen to California if its entire Mexican-immigrant population vanished. With so many housekeepers and farmworkers, teachers and gardeners, line cooks and police gone, the state seizes up. 2021 October 5, Ian Bogost, “A Day Without Facebook”, in The Atlantic, archived from the original on 05 Oct 2021:
   • Iceland's foreign currency market has seized up after the three largest banks collapsed.
   • I love casual fun – but seize up sexually in a serious relationship [title] 2023 December 5, Pamela Stephenson Connolly, “I love casual fun – but seize up sexually in a serious relationship”, in The Guardian, →ISSN, archived from the original on 12 Dec 2023:
2. (intransitive, of muscles) To stiffen or become tight and difficult to move.
   • It was hard to write as my fingers had seized up with the cold weather.
   • I have had over six years to think about my future and it does not look good. I … can expect no cure or improvement in my condition as my muscles and joints seize up through lack of use. 2012 June 19, Amelia Hill, quoting Tony Nicklinson, “Man with locked-in syndrome calls for change to murder law”, in The Guardian, →ISSN, archived from the original on 18 Sep 2019:
3. (intransitive, of a machine) To stop working suddenly, and become impossible to start again.
   • My car seized up this morning. So I had to catch the bus.

Forms

Deriveds

seize-up

Relateds

seize upon

Synonyms

freeze · grind to a halt · freeze up

Translations (23)

tr tutukluk yapmak (of a machine: to stop working suddenly, and become impossible to start again) · de blockieren (of a machine: to stop working suddenly, and become impossible to start again) · fi leikata kiinni (of a machine: to stop working suddenly, and become impossible to start again) · es trabarse (of a machine: to stop working suddenly, and become impossible to start again) · es paralizarse (of a machine: to stop working suddenly, and become impossible to start again) · fr se gripper (of a machine: to stop working suddenly, and become impossible to start again) · tr tutulmak (of muscles: to stiffen or become tight and difficult to move) · de festfressen (of a machine: to stop working suddenly, and become impossible to start again) · es atascarse (of a machine: to stop working suddenly, and become impossible to start again) · es atrancarse (of a machine: to stop working suddenly, and become impossible to start again) · ru свести́ (of muscles: to stiffen or become tight and difficult to move) · fi lakata toimimasta (of a machine: to stop working suddenly, and become impossible to start again) · de liegen bleiben (of a machine: to stop working suddenly, and become impossible to start again) · es agarrotarse (of a machine: to stop working suddenly, and become impossible to start again) · fi mennä lukkoon (of muscles: to stiffen or become tight and difficult to move) · it gripparsi (of a machine: to stop working suddenly, and become impossible to start again) · ru своди́ть (of muscles: to stiffen or become tight and difficult to move) · fi hirttää kiinni (of a machine: to stop working suddenly, and become impossible to start again) · fi lakata toimimasta (figuratively: to stop functioning; to come to a halt) · it intorpidirsi (of muscles: to stiffen or become tight and difficult to move) · es agarrotarse (of muscles: to stiffen or become tight and difficult to move) · de verhärten (of muscles: to stiffen or become tight and difficult to move) · de verklemmen (of a machine: to stop working suddenly, and become impossible to start again)