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

This move paralyzes them and causes the whale sharks to slip into a kind of trance. —Rachel Raposas, People.com, 13 Dec. 2024

This situation has paralyzed our counterterror operation. —Jennifer Griffin, Fox News, 12 Dec. 2024

The turmoil has paralyzed South Korean politics and sparked alarm among key diplomatic partners including the United States and Japan. —Hyung-Jin Kim and Kim Tong-Hyung, Los Angeles Times, 8 Dec. 2024

McBrain has dealt with health issues in recent years, including suffering a stroke in 2023 that paralyzed the right side of his body and threatened his drumming career. —Daniel Kreps, Rolling Stone, 7 Dec. 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