1
as in to cripple
to render powerless, ineffective, or unable to move
a blizzard paralyzed the city for two days
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to intimidate
to deprive of courage or confidence
the school board is paralyzed by the threat of lawsuits for just about everything
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of paralyze
While one of his victims, 19-year-old Darrell Cabey, was paralyzed and suffered permanent brain damage in the shooting, he and the other victims were villainized, even receiving piles of hate mail.
—
The Week Us, TheWeek, 4 Feb. 2026
The Islamic Republic has shut down the internet and cut off telephone communications, paralyzing the country.
—Shahrnush Parsipur, Time, 3 Feb. 2026
But even before their deaths and ensuing public outcry, James Beard Award–winning chef Sean Sherman saw fear paralyzing the city’s food community.
—Serena Maria Daniels, Bon Appetit Magazine, 3 Feb. 2026
The other was paralyzed in a motorcycle accident.
—Courtney Cole, CBS News, 2 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for paralyze
The Week Us, TheWeek, 4 Feb. 2026
The Islamic Republic has shut down the internet and cut off telephone communications, paralyzing the country.
—Shahrnush Parsipur, Time, 3 Feb. 2026
But even before their deaths and ensuing public outcry, James Beard Award–winning chef Sean Sherman saw fear paralyzing the city’s food community.
—Serena Maria Daniels, Bon Appetit Magazine, 3 Feb. 2026
The other was paralyzed in a motorcycle accident.
—Courtney Cole, CBS News, 2 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for paralyze
Recent Examples of Synonyms for paralyze
Verb
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Foot traffic at restaurants, shops and mosques sharply declined, turning once-lively economic and social hubs into ghost towns, and threatening to cripple the livelihood of an entire community.—
Yahya Salem,
CNN Money,
17 Feb. 2026
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Working at temperatures that would normally cripple lithium-ion cells, a team of Chinese researchers has built a new liquid-solid-state lithium battery that continues to deliver power in deep-freeze conditions.—
Bojan Stojkovski,
Interesting Engineering,
15 Feb. 2026
Verb
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The goal was to intimidate the family into not competing in the Beijing Games.—
Dana O’Neil,
CNN Money,
16 Feb. 2026
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The grand jury indictment charged Lemon and eight others with conspiracy against right of religious freedom at place of worship and another count of working to injure, intimidate or interfere with the exercise the right of religious freedom at a place of worship.—
Ted Johnson,
Deadline,
13 Feb. 2026
Verb
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In the first half of the Super Bowl against Cincinnati, Beckham suffered a complete ACL tear and was incapacitated.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
9 Feb. 2026
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The two climbers, 47 and 50 years old, were requesting assistance, saying they were incapacitated and unable to continue their route.—
Jennifer McRae,
CBS News,
9 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Konstantin, 4, a sociable boy, is often frightened by loud noises and guards, his parents said.—
Mike Hixenbaugh,
NBC news,
13 Feb. 2026
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Like the 1987 Kurt Vonnegut novel from which the restaurant took its name, Bluebeard encourages guests to drop their guard, surround themselves with other people and try something that frightens them a little.—
USA TODAY NETWORK,
USA Today,
11 Feb. 2026
Verb
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The report also undermines Orbán’s claims that Hungary has no option but to purchase Russian oil.—
Christian Edwards,
CNN Money,
16 Feb. 2026
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This constitutes a blatant violation of international law and international humanitarian law, undermines the inalienable right of the Palestinian people to self-determination, and obstructs the establishment of their independent sovereign state .—
CBS News,
CBS News,
16 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Quote of the week Labour seem to be mystified and terrified of the bond market in equal proportions.—
Ian King,
CNBC,
11 Feb. 2026
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Pearl asks Sam the changeling son, appropriately terrified by the terms of such salvation.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
10 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Getty Images Since the June strikes, Iran’s rulers have been weakened by street protests, suppressed at a cost of thousands of lives, against a cost-of-living crisis driven in part by international sanctions that have strangled the country’s oil income.—
Max Burman,
NBC news,
17 Feb. 2026
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Some purchasers had issues with the hook-and-loop straps weakening quickly.—
BestReviews,
Chicago Tribune,
17 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Why this message is designed to scare This scam relies on presentation, not accuracy.—
Kurt Knutsson,
FOXNews.com,
13 Feb. 2026
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That kind of stuff is fun, [and] doesn’t scare me too much.—
Jill Goldsmith,
Deadline,
13 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Paralyze.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/paralyze. Accessed 18 Feb. 2026.
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