seize upon

Verb

seize upon (third-person singular simple present seizes upon, present participle seizing upon, simple past and past participle seized upon)

1. To grasp or take hold of (an object) suddenly, forcibly, or tightly.
   • The child seized upon the cat's tail as soon as it was within reach.

   Synonyms:

   fasten on, hook on, latch on

2. To take up, embrace, enact, or turn eagerly to (a plan, idea, ideology, cause, practice, method, etc.); to grasp, understand, and accept quickly; to adopt wholeheartedly or vigorously.
   • I heard her ideas and seized upon them immediately.
   • The committee seized upon the new plan at once.
3. To take possession of or claim (an idea, person, event, etc.) as one's own; to assimilate, absorb, annex, co-opt.
   • After the controversy of her public statement, she has been the darling of right-wing groups who have seized upon her as the poster child of their cause.