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Invade vs Seize - What's the difference?

invade | seize |

In transitive terms the difference between invade and seize

is that invade is to infest or overrun while seize is to have a sudden and powerful effect upon.

invade

English

Verb

(invad)
  • To move into.
  • Under some circumstances police are allowed to invade a person's privacy.
  • * Spenser
  • Which becomes a body, and doth then invade / The state of life, out of the grisly shade.
  • To enter by force in order to conquer.
  • Argentinian troops invaded the Falkland Islands in 1982.
  • * {{quote-news
  • , year=2012 , date=April 26 , author=Tasha Robinson , title=Film: Reviews: The Pirates! Band Of Misfits : , work=The Onion AV Club citation , page= , passage=When a typical gaffe has him invading the Beagle and trying to rob Charles Darwin (David Tennant), he learns that his beloved “parrot” Polly is actually a dodo bird. }}
  • To infest or overrun.
  • The picnic was invaded by ants.
  • To attack; to infringe; to encroach on; to violate.
  • The king invaded the rights of the people.

    seize

    English

    Verb

    (seiz)
  • to deliberately take hold of; to grab or capture
  • to take advantage of (an opportunity or circumstance)
  • to take possession of (by force, law etc.)
  • to seize smuggled goods
    to seize a ship after libeling
  • to have a sudden and powerful effect upon
  • a panic seized the crowd
    a fever seized him
  • (nautical) to bind, lash or make fast, with several turns of small rope, cord, or small line
  • to seize two fish-hooks back to back
    to seize or stop one rope on to another
  • (obsolete) to fasten, fix
  • to lay hold in seizure, by hands or claws (+ on or upon)
  • to seize on the neck of a horse
    The text which had seized upon his heart with such comfort and strength abode upon him for more than a year.'' (''Southey , Bunyan, p. 21)
  • to have a seizure
  • * 2012 , Daniel M. Avery, Tales of a Country Obstetrician
  • Nearing what she thought was a climax, he started seizing and fell off her. Later, realizing he was dead, she became alarmed and dragged the body to his vehicle to make it look like he had died in his truck.
  • to bind or lock in position immovably; see also seize up
  • Rust caused the engine to seize , never to run again.
  • (UK) to submit for consideration to a deliberative body.
  • Derived terms

    * be seized of, be seized with * seizable * seize the day * seize on, seize upon * seize up * seizer * seizor