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
At the same time, there’s the internal challenge of staying open and attentive to what people are living through, without letting the weight of their circumstances paralyze you or numb you.
—Time Photo Department, Time, 23 Dec. 2025
Munson was paralyzed on impact and suffocated in a fire that ensued.
—Ryan Gaydos, FOXNews.com, 22 Dec. 2025
In 2023, the singer suffered a spinal stroke that paralyzed him from the waist down.
—Joseph Hudak, Rolling Stone, 16 Dec. 2025
The search for the shooter paralyzed the campus, the nearby neighborhoods filled with stately brick homes and the downtown in Rhode Island’s capital city until a shelter-in-place order was lifted early Sunday.
—Kimberlee Kruesi, Fortune, 14 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for paralyze
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Time Photo Department, Time, 23 Dec. 2025
Munson was paralyzed on impact and suffocated in a fire that ensued.
—Ryan Gaydos, FOXNews.com, 22 Dec. 2025
In 2023, the singer suffered a spinal stroke that paralyzed him from the waist down.
—Joseph Hudak, Rolling Stone, 16 Dec. 2025
The search for the shooter paralyzed the campus, the nearby neighborhoods filled with stately brick homes and the downtown in Rhode Island’s capital city until a shelter-in-place order was lifted early Sunday.
—Kimberlee Kruesi, Fortune, 14 Dec. 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 24 Dec. 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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