paralyze
verb
par·a·lyze
ˈper-ə-ˌlīz 
ˈpa-rə-
paralyzed; paralyzing
1
: to affect with paralysis
The snake's venom paralyzed the mouse.
2
: to make powerless or ineffective
A strike would paralyze the industry.
3
: unnerve
the paralyzing thing is the uncertainty—
Evelyn Whitehead
Evelyn WhiteheadExamples of paralyze in a Sentence
The snake's venom paralyzed the mouse.
The air strikes have paralyzed the city's transportation system.
The company was paralyzed by debt.
Recent Examples on the Web
Before recess, the lower chamber was paralyzed over a standoff regarding the Epstein files, when the House Rules Committee failed to tee up any bills for floor votes as the members disagreed over the Epstein files issue.
—Lauren Peller, ABC News, 2 Sep. 2025
The climate groups had sued the EPA, Zeldin, and Citibank—which was holding the grant money on behalf of the agency—saying the freeze had paralyzed their operations.
—Gabe Whisnant, MSNBC Newsweek, 2 Sep. 2025
The trials were conducted on a group of four participants, which included three individuals without motor impairments as well as one who was paralyzed.
—Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 1 Sep. 2025
The main risk, as shown in the video, is a thick layer of volcanic ash, paralyzing transportation, disrupting telecommunications and power grids and causing respiratory problems.
—David Bressan, Forbes.com, 31 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for paralyze
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Lauren Peller, ABC News, 2 Sep. 2025
The climate groups had sued the EPA, Zeldin, and Citibank—which was holding the grant money on behalf of the agency—saying the freeze had paralyzed their operations.
—Gabe Whisnant, MSNBC Newsweek, 2 Sep. 2025
The trials were conducted on a group of four participants, which included three individuals without motor impairments as well as one who was paralyzed.
—Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 1 Sep. 2025
The main risk, as shown in the video, is a thick layer of volcanic ash, paralyzing transportation, disrupting telecommunications and power grids and causing respiratory problems.
—David Bressan, Forbes.com, 31 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for paralyze
Cite this Entry
“Paralyze.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/paralyze. Accessed 9 Sep. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
paralyze
verb
par·a·lyze
ˈpar-ə-ˌlīz
paralyzed; paralyzing
1
: to affect with paralysis
2
: to make powerless or unable to act, function, or move
Medical Definition
paralyze
transitive verb
par·a·lyze
variants
or British paralyse
paralyzed or British paralysed; paralyzing or British paralysing
: to affect with paralysis
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