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
Trump deserves credit for ignoring the voices in Washington who counsel inaction out of an understandable but often paralyzing fear of unintended consequences.
—The Editors, National Review, 24 June 2025
Airpower paralyzed Saddam Hussein’s regime and rendered his military ineffective.
—David A. Deptula, Forbes.com, 23 June 2025
To all who saw Iran as a behemoth, were daunted by its deterrence and paralyzed by its threats, these are days of reckoning.
—Hussein Agha, Foreign Affairs, 23 June 2025
The conflict expanded in late June, when the American Railway Union refused to work on trains containing Pullman’s luxury sleeping cars — a boycott that paralyzed railroads across the country.
—Robert Loerzel, Chicago Tribune, 22 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for paralyze
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The Editors, National Review, 24 June 2025
Airpower paralyzed Saddam Hussein’s regime and rendered his military ineffective.
—David A. Deptula, Forbes.com, 23 June 2025
To all who saw Iran as a behemoth, were daunted by its deterrence and paralyzed by its threats, these are days of reckoning.
—Hussein Agha, Foreign Affairs, 23 June 2025
The conflict expanded in late June, when the American Railway Union refused to work on trains containing Pullman’s luxury sleeping cars — a boycott that paralyzed railroads across the country.
—Robert Loerzel, Chicago Tribune, 22 June 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 8 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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