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 WhiteheadSynonyms
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
On March 12, 2020, the world almost came to an end as it was literally paralyzed by the [COVID-19] pandemic.
—Georg Szalai, The Hollywood Reporter, 29 June 2024
Signals can’t enter or exit, and the cell is functionally paralyzed.
—Elizabeth Anne Brown, Scientific American, 27 June 2024
The outage has not only paralyzed thousands of dealerships but has also affected the people who work there.
—Ramishah Maruf, CNN, 27 June 2024
An 8-year-old boy was paralyzed from the waist down.
—Dennis Romero, NBC News, 26 June 2024
See all Example Sentences for paralyze 
Georg Szalai, The Hollywood Reporter, 29 June 2024
Signals can’t enter or exit, and the cell is functionally paralyzed.
—Elizabeth Anne Brown, Scientific American, 27 June 2024
The outage has not only paralyzed thousands of dealerships but has also affected the people who work there.
—Ramishah Maruf, CNN, 27 June 2024
An 8-year-old boy was paralyzed from the waist down.
—Dennis Romero, NBC News, 26 June 2024
See all Example Sentences for paralyze
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'paralyze.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near paralyze
Cite this Entry
“Paralyze.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/paralyze. Accessed 15 Jul. 2024.
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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