Translation of "ergreift" into English

Mich ergriff der Wunsch, das Buch zu kaufen.

I was seized with the desire to buy the book.

Er ergriff meine Hand.

He gripped my hand.

Da jedoch der oben genannte hohe Schwellenwert nie erreicht wurde, mussten bislang keine Maßnahmen ergriffen werden.

However, measures have never had to be taken, as the abovementioned level triggering action had never been reached.