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

Its venom, potent enough to kill an elephant, is a cocktail of neurotoxins that can paralyze muscles and shut down vital systems in a matter of hours. —Scott Travers, Forbes, 23 Jan. 2025

Travel was paralyzed along the Interstate 10 corridor with portions already receiving widespread snowfall totals of 3 to 6 inches. —Karina Tsui, CNN, 21 Jan. 2025

Some reports suggested that the aircraft was struck by Moscow's Pantsir-S air defense system mid-flight and that electronic warfare systems paralyzed the aircraft's communications. —Michael Gfoeller and David H. Rundell, Newsweek, 15 Jan. 2025

The horror is truly unfathomable; at press time there were 24 people killed, 23 unaccounted for, 150,000 people forced to evacuate and countless homes that burned to ash as whipping winds carried embers across acres of land, polluting the air and paralyzing the city. —Charlotte Triggs, People.com, 14 Jan. 2025

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