Merriam-Webster Logo
SINCE 1828
dictionary thesaurus view recents

cerebral palsy

noun
Save Word

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
Other Words from cerebral palsy Example Sentences Learn More about cerebral palsy

Keep scrolling for more

Other Words from cerebral palsy

cerebral-palsied \ sə-​ˈrē-​brəl-​ˈpȯl-​zēd How to pronounce cerebral-palsied (audio) , ˈser-​ə-​ , ˈse-​rə-​ \ adjective

Examples of cerebral palsy in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web As the months passed, Elaan developed health problems and was eventually diagnosed with cerebral palsy. — Sarah Treleaven, Marie Claire, "They're Single. They're Straight. They're Friends. And They're Having a Baby.," 22 Jan. 2020 Christine Perez has cerebral palsy, needs 24/7 care, and has a feeding tube. — Stephanie Innes, azcentral, "Hacienda HealthCare families are fighting to keep embattled facility open," 1 July 2019 Rivero, who was born with cerebral palsy, is diabetic and has sight in one eye. — Vince Ellis, Detroit Free Press, "For Detroit Pistons, focus shifting from Drummond to nurturing young prospects," 15 Jan. 2020 Anastasia Radzinskaya - $18 million Forbes profiled the 5-year-old star, who was born in Russia with cerebral palsy. — Caitlin O'kane, CBS News, "Top 10 highest-paid YouTube stars of 2019, according to Forbes," 19 Dec. 2019 Their son, James, who was born with cerebral palsy, also remained in New York. — New York Times, "Paul A. Volcker, Fed Chairman Who Waged War on Inflation, Is Dead at 92," 9 Dec. 2019 Equine therapy has proven beneficial for children with developmental disabilities, muscular dystrophy, cerebral palsy and autism, as saddling up the 1,000-pound animals helps build strength and improve balance and confidence. — Ryan Gillespie, orlandosentinel.com, "Freedom Ride will stay at Trotters Park for 2 more years. Then, a big move is in store," 20 Sep. 2019 Noah has Lennox Gasteau Syndrome, which is a severe type of epilepsy and cerebral palsy. — Alisha Ebrahimji, CNN, "They texted the wrong number, but reached the right person -- a total stranger who offered to help," 13 Sep. 2019 After the stroke, he was diagnosed with cerebral palsy. — Caitlin O'kane, CBS News, ""Thrilling" video shows 7-year-old boy with cerebral palsy skateboard for the first time," 24 Oct. 2019

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.

See More

First Known Use of cerebral palsy

1824, in the meaning defined above

Keep scrolling for more

Learn More about cerebral palsy

Time Traveler for cerebral palsy

Time Traveler

The first known use of cerebral palsy was in 1824

See more words from the same year

Statistics for cerebral palsy

Last Updated

7 Feb 2020

Cite this Entry

“Cerebral palsy.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cerebral%20palsy. Accessed 19 Feb. 2020.

Keep scrolling for more

More Definitions for cerebral palsy

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

Other Words from cerebral palsy

cerebral palsied adjective

Keep scrolling for more

More from Merriam-Webster on cerebral palsy

Spanish Central: Translation of cerebral palsy

Nglish: Translation of cerebral palsy for Spanish Speakers

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about cerebral palsy

Comments on cerebral palsy

What made you want to look up cerebral palsy? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).

Show Comments  Hide Comments 

WORD OF THE DAY

eradicate

Listen to the pronounciation of eradicate

See Definitions and Examples »

Get Word of the Day daily email!

Test Your Vocabulary

More Confusing Words—Quiz

  • cats on impossible timber
  • The magician ______ moved the selected card to the top of the deck.
Spell It

Can you spell these 10 commonly misspelled words?

TAKE THE QUIZ
Citation

Test Your Knowledge - and learn some interesting things along the way.

TAKE THE QUIZ
Love words? Need even more definitions?

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

Words at Play
Ask the Editors
Word Games