How to Use seize up in a Sentence

seize up

verb
  • The cheese will seize up not long after.
    — Amy Drew Thompson, The Orlando Sentinel, 5 June 2026
  • And keep an eye on the heat—if the burner’s cranked up too high, the cheese can seize up.
    — Maggie Meyer Glisan, Better Homes & Gardens, 20 June 2026
  • The democratic processes that stood our nation in good stead over two centuries have seized up.
    — Edward Lotterman, Twin Cities, 5 Apr. 2026
  • Most importantly, don't fret if your frosting seizes up or separates.
    — Josh Miller, Southern Living, 23 Aug. 2025
  • Leichman is excited to see what the right-hander can do when his back is not seizing up and his shoulder’s not barking.
    — Patrick Saunders, Denver Post, 12 Feb. 2026
  • Nothing works — the gun is seized up, the bolt sticking on some unforeseen burr of filament as the plastic slowly breaks in.
    — Jack Crosbie, Rolling Stone, 17 June 2026
  • This technique, the researchers say, substantially reduces message traffic, decreasing the chance the network might seize up.
    — Margo Anderson, IEEE Spectrum, 19 Oct. 2025
  • Down in the pit, on a raw October night in 1966, one of the giant haulers was unloading its tonnage when the pistons of its dump bed seized up.
    — Jonathan Franzen, New Yorker, 1 June 2026
  • If this, Ruiz says, is how mesh networks mathematically model crowd behavior, then no wondermesh networks seize up in certain real-world environments.
    — Margo Anderson, IEEE Spectrum, 19 Oct. 2025
  • Of course, on another night, Miami’s CJ Daniels doesn’t make a one-handed touchdown grab after beating Moore with a double move and Shuler seizing up.
    — Pete Sampson, New York Times, 15 Sep. 2025
  • In an economy, women and people of color have historically acted as that hedge, providing the inelastic demand for care, food, and community services that keeps an economy moving when financial markets seize up.
    — Katica Roy, Fortune, 14 Jan. 2026
  • His last Fall Classic start—for the Rangers, against the Arizona Diamondbacks, in Game 3 at Chase Field two years ago—ended after three innings when his back seized up.
    — Barry M. Bloom, Sportico.com, 27 Oct. 2025
  • Germany’s chemical industry warned shockwaves from the Iran war are beginning to ricochet through Europe’s largest economy, with a number of companies dialing down output as supply chains seize up and energy costs surge.
    — William Wilkes, Bloomberg, 13 Mar. 2026
  • At that point, the federal government has the right to seize up to 15% of borrowers’ after-tax wages — as well as a portion of their Social Security income and entire tax refunds, where applicable — to repay the debt.
    — Kamaron McNair, CNBC, 16 Jan. 2026
  • When its network seizes up, the ripple effect touches every major US hub, from JFK and LAX to Seattle and Miami.
    — Zach Wichter, USA Today, 16 Aug. 2025

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'seize up.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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