paralyze

verb

par·​a·​lyze ˈper-ə-ˌlīz How to pronounce paralyze (audio)
ˈpa-rə-
paralyzed; paralyzing

transitive verb

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 uncertaintyEvelyn Whitehead
4
: stun, stupefy
I would paralyze the empire with the news!Rudyard Kipling
5
: to bring to an end : prevent, destroy
deadlock paralyzed actionF. A. Ogg & Harold Zink
paralyzation noun
paralyzer noun
paralyzingly adverb

Examples 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 The population loss highlights the challenges New York still faces roughly four years after the Covid-19 pandemic first paralyzed America’s largest city, killing thousands of residents and spurring many to flee to the suburbs or other states. Laura Nahmias, Bloomberg.com, 14 Mar. 2024 The disease left Paul paralyzed from the neck down and unable to breathe on his own. Mira Cheng, CNN, 13 Mar. 2024 Meanwhile, starting in the 1940s into the 1950s, polio—a contagious viral illness that in its most severe form causes nerve injury leading to paralysis—would paralyze or kill over half a million people worldwide every year. Sari Beth Rosenberg, Parents, 5 Mar. 2024 Without this process, the likely result would be a customer paralyzed by choice, bamboozled by an eye-wateringly expensive blank canvas. Alistair Charlton, Forbes, 29 Feb. 2024 Unsolicited criticism can paralyze the artistic spirit. Haben Kelati, Washington Post, 28 Feb. 2024 In 1947, McCullers had a second stroke, a serious one, that partially paralyzed her left side. Maggie Doherty, The New Yorker, 26 Feb. 2024 But the United States cannot paralyze itself by trying to fully embody those values in every tactical decision. Hal Brands, Foreign Affairs, 20 Feb. 2024 Bitter politics have paralyzed any movement on the issue, as Republicans seize on it as a political weapon against President Biden. Hamed Aleaziz, New York Times, 14 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'paralyze.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

French paralyser, back-formation from paralysie paralysis, from Latin paralysis

First Known Use

1763, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of paralyze was in 1763

Dictionary Entries Near paralyze

Cite this Entry

“Paralyze.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/paralyze. Accessed 29 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

paralyze

verb
par·​a·​lyze ˈpar-ə-ˌlīz How to pronounce paralyze (audio)
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
paralyzation noun
or British paralysation

More from Merriam-Webster on paralyze

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!