Etymology 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.
1
Figuratively To stop functioning; to come to a halt.
Iceland's foreign currency market has seized up after the three largest banks collapsed.
In the 2004 film A Day Without a Mexican, Sergio Arau imagines, in mockumentary style, what would happen to California if its entire Mexican-immigrant population vanished. With so many housekeepers and farmworkers, teachers and gardeners, line cooks and police gone, the state seizes up.2021 October 5, Ian Bogost, “A Day Without Facebook”, in The Atlantic, archived from the original on 05 Oct 2021:
2 more examples
I love casual fun – but seize up sexually in a serious relationship [title]2023 December 5, Pamela Stephenson Connolly, “I love casual fun – but seize up sexually in a serious relationship”, in The Guardian, →ISSN, archived from the original on 12 Dec 2023:
All of this has spooked the world’s investors. The bond market seized up after Trump’s “Liberation Day” tariff announcement, as some analysts wondered whether the Fed would have to step in to provide liquidity.2025 April 25, Annie Lowrey, “What Would Be Worse Than a Recession?”, in The Atlantic, archived from the original on 28 Apr 2025:
2
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.
I have had over six years to think about my future and it does not look good. I … can expect no cure or improvement in my condition as my muscles and joints seize up through lack of use.2012 June 19, Amelia Hill, quoting Tony Nicklinson, “Man with locked-in syndrome calls for change to murder law”, in The Guardian, →ISSN, archived from the original on 18 Sep 2019:
3
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.
Growth in the UK service sector slowed last month amid a “seize-up” in activity as companies put projects on hold in the run-up to the general election.2024 July 3, Richard Partington, “UK service sector growth ‘seizes up’ as firms put plans on hold before election”, in The Guardian, →ISSN: