Meaning & use
seizing opportunity
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Meanings
phraseidiom
Acting quickly and boldly to make good use of a chance that appears.
Grammar: Used as a noun phrase (the -ing form of 'seize an opportunity'); it often follows verbs like 'believe in' or prepositions like 'about'.
Patterns
- seizing an opportunity
- seizing the opportunity to do something
- seizing opportunities
She is known for seizing opportunity the moment it appears.
Seizing the opportunity to learn a new language, he moved to Madrid for a year.
The company grew fast by seizing opportunities that rivals ignored.
phraseidiom
The act of grabbing a chance at exactly the right moment.
Grammar: Used as a noun; can follow 'the' or a possessive, as in 'his seizing of the opportunity'.
Patterns
- the seizing of an opportunity
- his/her seizing of the chance
Their seizing of the market opening surprised everyone.
The seizing of that chance changed her career.
Common combinations
- seize the moment
- The speech was so moving that I decided to seize the moment and ask for a raise.
- seize an opportunity
- You should seize an opportunity like this before it disappears.
- miss an opportunity
- He missed an opportunity to apologize when she was still listening.
- a golden opportunity
- The internship was a golden opportunity to work with top scientists.
- grasp an opportunity
- She grasped the opportunity to study abroad with both hands.
Synonyms and how they differ
- taking advantage of
- This is more neutral and can suggest using a situation for your own benefit, sometimes unfairly.
- grabbing a chance
- More informal and emphasizes speed rather than careful judgment.
- capitalizing on
- Common in business writing and focuses on turning a situation into profit or gain.
Opposites
Word family
- seize verb
- To take hold of something suddenly and firmly, or to take control by force.
- seizure noun
- The act of taking control by force, or a sudden medical attack.
- opportunity noun
- A situation that makes it possible to do something you want.
- opportunistic adjective
- Often disapproving: using situations for personal gain without caring about principles.
Commonly confused: seizing opportunity or seizing? seizing opportunity or taking opportunity?
seizing opportunity vs seizing
By itself, 'seizing' usually means grabbing something physically or taking control by force; the full phrase 'seizing opportunity' is about using a chance.
seizing opportunity vs taking opportunity
'Take an opportunity' is standard and neutral; 'seize an opportunity' adds a feeling of bold, fast action.
Practice
Which sentence uses the phrase correctly?
Choose one answer.
'Seizing opportunity' is a fixed -ing phrase and needs no extra preposition after 'seizing'. Option 1 wrongly adds 'to', option 2 uses the base verb after 'at', and option 3 inserts 'of', which does not fit this pattern.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “seizing opportunity”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.