seize up

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seize up

/ˌsiːz ˈʌp/ UK
/ˌsiz ˈʌp/ Canada, US, Scotland
/ˌsiːz ˈɐp/ Australia, New Zealand

Where it comes from

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.

verb seizes up · seizing up · seized up

figuratively, intransitive To stop functioning; to come to a halt. Iceland's foreign currency market has seized up after the three largest banks collapsed.
Similar: freeze, freeze up, grind to a halt
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.
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.

Translations

Every language

verb of muscles: to stiffen or become tight and difficult to move

Español	agarrotarse
Deutsch	verhärten
Italiano	intorpidirsi
Русский	своди́ть svodítʹ, свести́ svestí

verb of a machine: to stop working suddenly, and become impossible to start again

Español	agarrotarse, trabarse, atascarse, paralizarse, atrancarse
Français	se gripper
Deutsch	blockieren, festfressen, verklemmen, liegen bleiben
Italiano	gripparsi

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Cite this

MLA

"seize up." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/seize%20up. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026.

APA

seize up. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/seize%20up

Chicago

"seize up." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/seize%20up.

BibTeX

@misc{seize_up_2026,
  title = {seize up},
  howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://micwyn.com/word/seize%20up},
  urldate = {2026-11-06}
}