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
Fear Of Failure: High-stakes environments can paralyze even the most capable leaders.
—Jackie Simon, Forbes, 20 Nov. 2024
The undiluted isolationism of his campaign messaging could prove to be a straitjacket that paralyzes the Trump administration’s foreign policy at a critical time.
—Peter D. Feaver, Foreign Affairs, 6 Nov. 2024
In a season where their first baseman almost lost a son and had to leave the team, then battle the mental hurdles involved in seeing your son paralyzed, then severely sprained his ankle, then had an amazing World Series.
—Houston Mitchell, Los Angeles Times, 1 Nov. 2024
Home prices had already soared during the pandemic, but when inflation reached a four-decade high, pushing the Fed to aggressively raise interest rates, mortgage rates indirectly followed; the housing market was paralyzed.
—Orianna Rosa Royle, Fortune, 1 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for paralyze 
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Jackie Simon, Forbes, 20 Nov. 2024
The undiluted isolationism of his campaign messaging could prove to be a straitjacket that paralyzes the Trump administration’s foreign policy at a critical time.
—Peter D. Feaver, Foreign Affairs, 6 Nov. 2024
In a season where their first baseman almost lost a son and had to leave the team, then battle the mental hurdles involved in seeing your son paralyzed, then severely sprained his ankle, then had an amazing World Series.
—Houston Mitchell, Los Angeles Times, 1 Nov. 2024
Home prices had already soared during the pandemic, but when inflation reached a four-decade high, pushing the Fed to aggressively raise interest rates, mortgage rates indirectly followed; the housing market was paralyzed.
—Orianna Rosa Royle, Fortune, 1 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for paralyze
Dictionary Entries Near paralyze
Cite this Entry
“Paralyze.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/paralyze. Accessed 30 Nov. 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
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share