paralyze

verb

par·​a·​lyze ˈper-ə-ˌlīz 

ˈpa-rə-

paralyzed; paralyzing

transitive verb

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

4

: stun, stupefy

I would paralyze the empire with the news!

—Rudyard Kipling

5

: to bring to an end : prevent, destroy

deadlock paralyzed action

—F. A. Ogg & Harold Zink

paralyzation

ˌper-ə-lə-ˈzā-shən 

ˌpa-rə-

noun

paralyzer

ˈper-ə-ˌlī-zər 

ˈpa-rə-

noun

paralyzingly

ˈper-ə-ˌlī-ziŋ-lē 

ˈpa-rə

adverb

Synonyms

• cripple
• disable
• hamstring
• immobilize
• incapacitate
• prostrate

Examples 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 Dali brought down a huge span of the bridge over the Patapsco River last week, killing six construction workers and paralyzing shipping in one of the nation’s busiest ports after a still-unexplained power failure. —Tom Vanden Brook, USA TODAY, 1 Apr. 2024

For example, in Vermont, three Palestinian college students were shot, leaving one paralyzed from the waist down. —Emma Hall, Sacramento Bee, 29 Mar. 2024

The attack left her pregnant mother partly paralyzed, her father missing and her 2-year-old brother killed, said Ms. Foad, a cousin of Sarah’s father. —Nariman El-Mofty Alan Yuhas, New York Times, 25 Mar. 2024

Famously, though Franklin D. Roosevelt was partially paralyzed, the White House suppressed photos that would have shown his disability. —Elizabeth Lopatto, The Verge, 13 Mar. 2024

Its centerpiece was a grand, defunct table cuckoo clock whose avian automaton was paralyzed just beyond its little door. —Joseph O’Neill, The New Yorker, 11 Mar. 2024

The three-drug combination involves, firstly, an anesthetic or sedative, then a drug to paralyze the prisoner and, lastly, a drug to stop the heart, the DPIC said. —Mary Kekatos, ABC News, 19 Mar. 2024

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez has finally managed to clinch an agreement with a group of Catalan lawmakers to pass an amnesty for hundreds of separatists, ending more than six months negotiations that have paralyzed parliament. —Rodrigo Orihuela, Bloomberg.com, 14 Mar. 2024

Some Arizona health providers, particularly those who serve low-income patients, are taking a financial hit from a massive cyberattack that paralyzed one of the country's largest claims and billing systems, physician groups say. —Stephanie Innes, The Arizona Republic, 12 Mar. 2024

Word History

Etymology

French paralyser, back-formation from paralysie paralysis, from Latin paralysis

First Known Use

1763, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids 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

ˈpar-ə-ˌlīz 

paralyzed or British paralysed; paralyzing or British paralysing

: to affect with paralysis

paralyzation noun

or British paralysation

ˌpar-ə-lə-ˈzā-shən