ENGLISH
REFERENCE

seize the day

idiom
Meaning

To enjoy the present and not worry about the future; to live for the moment.


Origin

disputed origin

Calque of Latin carpe diem, originally meaning "enjoy the day", literally "pluck (or harvest) the day", from a poem by the ancient poet Horace. In Latin, it was common to use carpo (“to pluck something, pick off”) metaphorically to express enjoying a period of time. The use of seize is a traditional mistranslation originating from a confusion with cape, singular imperative of capio (“to seize something, grab”).

Examples
SIMPLE

She quit her job to seize the day.

CONTEXTUAL

After his health scare, he decided to seize the day and travel the world.

COMPLEX

Standing on the cliff at sunrise, he whispered to himself to seize the day, knowing that regret weighs heavier than failure.

Anchors to
Related idioms8entries
  1. 01

    a cold day in July

    The time of occurrence of an event that will never happen.

  2. 02

    a day late and a dollar short

    Too late and too feeble to achieve the desired effect.

  3. 03

    a year and a day

    A long time.

  4. 04

    as the day is long

    Unceasingly; very; thoroughly; to a very high degree.

  5. 05

    bad hair day

    A day when things seem to be unmanageable or go wrong.

  6. 06

    banyan day

    In British naval tradition, a day of the week when galley kitchens served no meat on board ship.

  7. 07

    black day

    A day of great disaster, misfortune or unhappiness.

  8. 08

    call it a day

    To cease an activity.

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