seize on/upon
phrasal verb
seized on/upon; seizing on/upon; seizes on/upon
: to take or use (something, such as a chance or opportunity) in a quick and eager way
His critics have seized on the scandal to call for his resignation.
She seized on the opportunity to tell her side of the story.
Examples of seize on/upon in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Officials had initially responded positively to the trend and had tried to seize on it to boost tourism.
—
Peter Guo, NBC News, 11 Nov. 2024
While the weaker data is expected, White House and Harris campaign officials acknowledge the potential for Republicans to seize on any downtick, especially after recent weeks in which Vice President Kamala Harris has been chipping away at former President Donald Trump’s lead on the economy.
—Alicia Wallace, CNN, 31 Oct. 2024
And despite not being a swing state, the issue has thrust Virginia into the national spotlight as Republicans seize on the unsubstantiated claims that non-citizen voting will influence election outcomes in Vice President Harris' favor.
—Sabrina Moreno, Axios, 30 Oct. 2024
Her campaign continued to seize on the comments from Trump’s rally about Puerto Rico, quickly clipping the video and posting it on social media.
—Nik Popli, TIME, 28 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for seize on/upon 
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Peter Guo, NBC News, 11 Nov. 2024
While the weaker data is expected, White House and Harris campaign officials acknowledge the potential for Republicans to seize on any downtick, especially after recent weeks in which Vice President Kamala Harris has been chipping away at former President Donald Trump’s lead on the economy.
—Alicia Wallace, CNN, 31 Oct. 2024
And despite not being a swing state, the issue has thrust Virginia into the national spotlight as Republicans seize on the unsubstantiated claims that non-citizen voting will influence election outcomes in Vice President Harris' favor.
—Sabrina Moreno, Axios, 30 Oct. 2024
Her campaign continued to seize on the comments from Trump’s rally about Puerto Rico, quickly clipping the video and posting it on social media.
—Nik Popli, TIME, 28 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for seize on/upon
Dictionary Entries Near seize on/upon
Cite this Entry
“Seize on/upon.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/seize%20on%2Fupon. Accessed 4 Dec. 2024.
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