cerebral palsy

noun

: a disability resulting from damage to the brain before, during, or shortly after birth and outwardly manifested by muscular incoordination and speech disturbances

cerebral-palsied

sə-ˈrē-brəl-ˈpȯl-zēd 

ˈser-ə-, 

ˈse-rə-

adjective

Examples of cerebral palsy in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

These increased positive outcomes for individuals with cerebral palsy, Duchenne’s Muscular Dystrophy, and Rett Syndrome, among other disorders, has created a growing population of young adults in need of services, and medical organizations are scrambling to catch up across the country. —Maggie Menderski, Louisville Courier Journal, 17 Dec. 2025

Edys Renan Membreno Diaz, a Honduran national who entered the United States at least seven separate times, was convicted for raping and sodomizing a disabled woman suffering from cerebral palsy and cognitive delays in the laundry room of her apartment building. —David Zimmermann, The Washington Examiner, 13 Dec. 2025

Preterm babies who survive infancy are susceptible to health complications later in life, including cerebral palsy and learning disabilities. —Faye Taxman, The Conversation, 11 Dec. 2025

Not only was Bonadurer denied a pass, but so was her 25-year-old son, who is blind and has cerebral palsy and autism. —Mike Schneider, Fortune, 8 Dec. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1824, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

cerebral palsy

noun

: a disease resulting from damage to the brain usually before or during birth and resulting in imperfect control of muscles, paralysis, and speech disturbances

Medical Definition

cerebral palsy

noun

: a disability resulting from damage to the brain before, during, or shortly after birth and outwardly manifested by muscular incoordination and speech disturbances see ataxic cerebral palsy, athetoid cerebral palsy, spastic cerebral palsy

cerebral palsied adjective