seize hastily

Meanings

1. 1phrasetransitive

   To take hold of something suddenly and quickly, especially before someone else does.

   Grammar: Takes an object, and the adverb can come before or after it: seize hastily the offer / seize the offer hastily.

   Patterns

   • seize hastily on something
   • seize something hastily
   • hastily seize something

   She seized hastily on the last ticket before the office closed.

   The company seized hastily on the chance to buy the land cheaply.

   He seized the letter hastily and hid it in his coat.

2. 2phrasetransitive

   To take power, control, or property by force in a rushed and unplanned way.

   Grammar: Used about power or goods; the object is usually a thing, not a person.

   Patterns

   • seize hastily power
   • seize hastily control of something
   • seize something hastily from someone

   The rebels seized hastily control of the radio station and lost it again by morning.

   Officials seized the goods hastily, without the proper paperwork.

   Power was seized hastily by a small group of officers.

3. 3phraseintransitive

   To begin doing something in a hurry, without thinking it through.

   Grammar: Often followed by 'to do something' or 'on something'; no direct object.

   Patterns

   • seize hastily on something
   • seize hastily to do something

   The committee seized hastily on the first plan it saw.

   Don't seize hastily on an answer just because it sounds simple.

Common combinations

seize hastily on an opportunity

Investors seized hastily on the opportunity and later regretted it.

seize hastily at a chance

She seized hastily at the chance to travel abroad.

seize hastily the initiative

The team seized hastily the initiative and scored within a minute.

seize hastily control

Soldiers seized hastily control of the airport.

seize hastily upon an idea

He seized hastily upon the idea without checking the facts.

Synonyms and how they differ

snatch

Snatch suggests a quick, often rude grabbing movement with the hand, while seize hastily can also be about chances or power.

grab

Grab is more informal and physical; seize hastily works better in written reports about opportunities or authority.

pounce on

Pounce on stresses reacting fast to something offered, close to seize hastily on, but it is more informal and often about criticism or offers.

commandeer

Commandeer means officially or forcefully taking something for use, usually by an army; it does not carry the idea of hurry that seize hastily does.

Opposites

Word family

seizure noun

The act of taking something by force, or a sudden medical attack.

hasty adjective

Done too quickly, without enough care.

hastily adverb

In a hurried way, often too quickly.

hastiness noun

The quality of acting too quickly.

Commonly confused: seize hastily or seize up? seize hastily or cease?

Practice

Make it your own

Write a sentence using “seize hastily”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

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