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
This clarity prevents the confusion about who's in charge that often paralyzes organizations.
—Jennifer J. Fondrevay, Forbes.com, 21 May 2025
The closures have angered local business owners and caused congestion on detour routes that frequently paralyzes the streets of Wharton along with surrounding communities in Morris County.
—Jared Kofsky, ABC News, 17 May 2025
New Jersey Transit engineers are on strike Friday, paralyzing one of the country's busiest transport regions and leaving as many as 350,000 commuters affected as rail riders end up stranded or seeking alternative routes.
—Patrick Smith, NBC news, 16 May 2025
Bhatti, 21, is paralyzed from the waist down and has a spinal fracture and brain hematoma, according to a GoFundMe created to cover her medical costs.
—Summer Lin, Los Angeles Times, 6 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for paralyze
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Jennifer J. Fondrevay, Forbes.com, 21 May 2025
The closures have angered local business owners and caused congestion on detour routes that frequently paralyzes the streets of Wharton along with surrounding communities in Morris County.
—Jared Kofsky, ABC News, 17 May 2025
New Jersey Transit engineers are on strike Friday, paralyzing one of the country's busiest transport regions and leaving as many as 350,000 commuters affected as rail riders end up stranded or seeking alternative routes.
—Patrick Smith, NBC news, 16 May 2025
Bhatti, 21, is paralyzed from the waist down and has a spinal fracture and brain hematoma, according to a GoFundMe created to cover her medical costs.
—Summer Lin, Los Angeles Times, 6 May 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 30 May. 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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