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seize ~ siege

[very slightly different end sound: though both words begin with the long ‘c’ sound, as in “see”, the ‘z’ in “seize” rhymes with the ‘z’ sound in “zoo”; the ‘g’ in “siege” rhymes with the ‘j’ sound in “jump”]

“Seize” (verb) is ‘to take hold of something, usually suddenly and with a lot of force or pressure; grab; to take control of something, such as a place, power, illegal drugs, illicit liquor, unlicensed things by force or by authority; to catch somebody and take proper caution to keep them from escaping; to do something quickly and eagerly because you are afraid you may not get another chance’ {more formal than the word ‘grab’}’,

e.g.

He seized her hand suddenly and dragged her away.

A gang of terrorists seized the airport.

The police seized hundreds of pirated CDs from several shops.

He seized the opportunity and married the rich girl without hesitation.

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“Siege” (noun) is ‘the act of an army or the police or any law enforcement agency, or even a gang of robbers or terrorists, surrounding a place and trying to take control of that place or forcing the people in it to come out of it and surrender’,

e.g.

The siege of the rebel city by the army lasted two weeks.

The Greeks laid siege to the city of Troy for ten long years.

The present Government has been under siege by the Opposition.   [i.e. the Opposition party has been criticising the present government and giving it a lot of trouble]

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