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
With the House floor paralyzed, House GOP leaders announced on Tuesday that the chamber is leaving for a five-week district work period a day earlier than expected.
—Lauren Peller, ABC News, 22 July 2025
House Republicans, paralyzed by internal fighting over the Jeffrey Epstein files, will embark early for a lengthy summer recess later this week after canceling votes on Thursday.
—Ramsey Touchberry, The Washington Examiner, 22 July 2025
Trump’s volatile trade policy has paralyzed many businesses.
—Elisabeth Buchwald, CNN Money, 16 July 2025
Three years ago, a ransomware attack hit one of our key clients at 2 a.m. on a Friday, paralyzing their customer service operation and threatening $50,000 per hour in losses.
—Anuj Tyagi, Forbes.com, 8 July 2025
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.
Lauren Peller, ABC News, 22 July 2025
House Republicans, paralyzed by internal fighting over the Jeffrey Epstein files, will embark early for a lengthy summer recess later this week after canceling votes on Thursday.
—Ramsey Touchberry, The Washington Examiner, 22 July 2025
Trump’s volatile trade policy has paralyzed many businesses.
—Elisabeth Buchwald, CNN Money, 16 July 2025
Three years ago, a ransomware attack hit one of our key clients at 2 a.m. on a Friday, paralyzing their customer service operation and threatening $50,000 per hour in losses.
—Anuj Tyagi, Forbes.com, 8 July 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 29 Jul. 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
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share