cerebral palsy

noun

|Updated on: 8 Aug 2018

Definition of cerebral palsy

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

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cerebral-palsied

adjective

See cerebral palsy defined for English-language learners

See cerebral palsy defined for kids

Recent Examples of cerebral palsy from the Web

Some suffered from autism, others from Down syndrome and cerebral palsy, among other developmental disabilities.

— mike candelaria, OrlandoSentinel.com, "USTA uses adaptive tennis to teach kids with disabilities," 7 June 2018
Wright says Bitty & Beau's employs people with various conditions such as autism, cerebral palsy, and traumatic brain injuries, and some that have yet to be diagnosed.

— caitlin o'kane, CBS News, "Man with Down syndrome gets huge surprise from boss," 5 June 2018
The program helps many kids with Down syndrome and cerebral palsy — but Jack was the exception.

— sarah schreiber, Good Housekeeping, "Boy With Down Syndrome Shatters Stereotypes By Joining the Cincinnati Ballet," 21 Dec. 2016
One teacher in Illinois went above and beyond to bring one of her 4th grade students with cerebral palsy to a two-day hiking trip.

— christopher brito, CBS News, "Teacher carries student with cerebral palsy on school hiking trip," 8 June 2018
Last fall, Border Patrol agents followed a 10-year-old immigrant with cerebral palsy to a Texas hospital and took her into custody after the surgery.

— kelli kennedy, The Seattle Times, "Deportation fears have legal immigrants avoiding health care," 21 Jan. 2018
After spine surgery, Maya, diagnosed at age 1 with cerebral palsy, took her first steps on her own earlier this week.

— sarah klein, Health.com, "This Video of a 4-Year-Old With Cerebral Palsy Walking on Her Own for the First Time Will Make Your Day," 6 July 2018
This focus has been emphasized under CEO Satya Nadella, who has a child with cerebral palsy.

— rachel lerman, courant.com, "Microsoft's New Xbox Controller Courts Gamers With Disabilities," 30 May 2018
Forget the wheelchair for a second, or the diagnosis at birth of cerebral palsy.

— mike jensen, Philly.com, "Chris DiJulia, St. Joseph's hall of famer: Now it's official," 12 Apr. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'cerebral palsy.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

First Known Use of cerebral palsy

1889

in the meaning defined above

See Words from the same year

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Medical Dictionary

cerebral palsy

noun

medical Definition of cerebral palsy

: 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

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