paralyze
verb
par·a·lyze
ˈper-ə-ˌlīz 
ˈpa-rə-
paralyzed; paralyzing
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 uncertainty—
Evelyn Whitehead
Evelyn WhiteheadExamples 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 widespread arrests have paralyzed parts of the city where high numbers of immigrants work, such as the Flower District downtown.
—Los Angeles Times, 11 July 2025
The toe-biter’s venom first paralyzes its prey and then dissolves its insides.
—Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 10 July 2025
The violence is paralyzing Port-au-Prince, now up to 90% under gang control, and is quickly spreading to other regions of Haiti.
—Miami Herald, 7 July 2025
Frigid temperatures and nearly 40 hours of constant snowfall — including 24 hours of blizzard conditions — paralyzed the city’s means of travel by land and by air, and caused waves from Lake Michigan to lash at the shore.
—Kori Rumore, Chicago Tribune, 7 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for paralyze
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Los Angeles Times, 11 July 2025
The toe-biter’s venom first paralyzes its prey and then dissolves its insides.
—Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 10 July 2025
The violence is paralyzing Port-au-Prince, now up to 90% under gang control, and is quickly spreading to other regions of Haiti.
—Miami Herald, 7 July 2025
Frigid temperatures and nearly 40 hours of constant snowfall — including 24 hours of blizzard conditions — paralyzed the city’s means of travel by land and by air, and caused waves from Lake Michigan to lash at the shore.
—Kori Rumore, Chicago Tribune, 7 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for paralyze
Cite this Entry
“Paralyze.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/paralyze. Accessed 18 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
paralyze
verb
par·a·lyze
ˈpar-ə-ˌlīz
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
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