1
as in to cripple
to render powerless, ineffective, or unable to move
a blizzard paralyzed the city for two days
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2
as in to intimidate
to deprive of courage or confidence
the school board is paralyzed by the threat of lawsuits for just about everything
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Examples of paralyze in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Many stores are shuttered; normal life is paralyzed.
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Rania Abouzeid, The New Yorker, 11 Oct. 2024
Meanwhile, a month of intra-cartel violence has nearly paralyzed Culiacán, capital of Sinaloa state and base of the Sinaloa cartel, the nation’s largest.
—Patrick J. McDonnell, Los Angeles Times, 8 Oct. 2024
To avoid punishment for its violations, the United States has also paralyzed the existing system’s enforcement mechanism, thus risking the complete unraveling of the trading order.
—Kristen Hopewell, Foreign Affairs, 7 Oct. 2024
The western half of North Carolina, once held up as a haven from the worst impacts of climate change, has been paralyzed by floods.
—Tribune News Service, The Mercury News, 4 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for paralyze 
Rania Abouzeid, The New Yorker, 11 Oct. 2024
Meanwhile, a month of intra-cartel violence has nearly paralyzed Culiacán, capital of Sinaloa state and base of the Sinaloa cartel, the nation’s largest.
—Patrick J. McDonnell, Los Angeles Times, 8 Oct. 2024
To avoid punishment for its violations, the United States has also paralyzed the existing system’s enforcement mechanism, thus risking the complete unraveling of the trading order.
—Kristen Hopewell, Foreign Affairs, 7 Oct. 2024
The western half of North Carolina, once held up as a haven from the worst impacts of climate change, has been paralyzed by floods.
—Tribune News Service, The Mercury News, 4 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for paralyze
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.
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“Paralyze.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/paralyze. Accessed 31 Oct. 2024.
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