paralyze
Americanverb (used with object)
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paralyzes,
present (3rd person singular)
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paralyzed,
past participle, past
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paralyzing
present participle
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to affect with paralysis.
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to bring to a condition of helpless stoppage, inactivity, or inability to act.
The strike paralyzed communications.
Synonym Usage
See shock 1.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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paralyzationnoun
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paralyzernoun
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paralyzantadjective
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semiparalyzedadjective
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unparalyzedadjective
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paralyzinglyadverb
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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paralyzesimple
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paralyzessimple
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have paralyzedperfect
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has paralyzedperfect
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am paralyzingprogressive
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are paralyzingprogressive
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is paralyzingprogressive
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have been paralyzingperfect progressive
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has been paralyzingperfect progressive
Past
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paralyzedsimple
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had paralyzedperfect
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was paralyzingprogressive
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were paralyzingprogressive
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had been paralyzingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of paralyze
First recorded in 1795–1805; back formation from paralysis, modeled on analyze
Explanation
Use the verb paralyze to describe something that makes it impossible to move or function, like a snowstorm that threatens to paralyze a city. Accent the first syllable in paralyze: "PA-ruh-lies." Until 1805, the only way to paralyze someone was physically — the word was used to indicate that a person had lost the ability to move their body, often as a result of an accident of illness. More recently, the definition has widened to include figurative uses like being "paralyzed by fear." It doesn't mean you are literally immobilized — just that you are so scared, it feels that way.
Vocabulary lists containing paralyze
Schooled
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Where the Red Fern Grows
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List 6
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
The Lewiatan Confederation, an NGO representing Polish entrepreneurs, argues the move "could paralyze the labour market".
From Barron's ● Jan. 20, 2026
The prospect of 40,000 drivers suddenly vanishing threatened to paralyze the city.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 9, 2026
Good team, great fans, best ballpark in Southern California – but is an ownership dispute going to paralyze the franchise?
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 1, 2025
The treatment uses a combination of suction and heat to destroy the sweat glands, rather than just paralyze them.
From Slate ● Aug. 27, 2024
I ran to help her, but the serpent had already zeroed in on the new threat Even with only one eye, its glare was enough to paralyze two chariot drivers.
From "The Last Olympian" by Rick Riordan
Meanwhile, Salieri’s invisible seething paralyzes him, turning into the punishment he believes God inflicted on him.
From Salon ● May 16, 2026
"The amyloid beta affects muscles and paralyzes the worms," says Sidharth Madhavan, a PhD candidate and lead author on the study.
From Science Daily ● Dec. 2, 2024
The fix here is pretty simple: return to the ophthalmologist’s chair for a “cycloplegic refraction,” which temporarily paralyzes those inner eye muscles so you can get an accurate prescription.
From Slate ● Sep. 30, 2023
Meanwhile, your brain paralyzes the muscles in your arms and legs, preventing you from acting out your dreams, Dasgupta explained.
From Seattle Times ● Feb. 27, 2023
“The longer you’re here, the less you notice it. There’s something in it that paralyzes your sense of smell.”
From "The House of the Scorpion" by Nancy Farmer
She was also battling back from a severe lower back injury that left her almost paralyzed last year.
From Salon ● Aug. 17, 2026
Join us on a time-travel adventure to the ’90s: If you’ve recently been paralyzed by choice or felt overconnected but underinvested in your friendships, Slate has an antidote for you.
From Slate ● Aug. 10, 2026
"Traffic is paralyzed and people don't want to go back to their homes for fear of an aftershock."
From Barron's ● Aug. 10, 2026
But it’s easy for investors to become paralyzed given the plethora of options available.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 6, 2026
He lay on the ground helplessly paralyzed by the musical notes emanating from the pendant.
From "Summer of the Mariposas" by Guadalupe García McCall
India is also too big and decentralized for any group to oust the government simply by paralyzing the national capital.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 29, 2026
Paz is facing paralyzing country-wide protests and calls for his resignation.
From Barron's ● Jun. 4, 2026
It’s a paralyzing realization, she argued, being confronted with “the limits of our body and perspectives — the limits of our very lives.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 13, 2026
For Tamma and Dan, this is likened to fighting through the paralyzing obstacles of poverty and family pressure.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 23, 2026
The female Tiphia, finding a beetle grub in the soil, injects a paralyzing fluid and attaches a single egg to the undersurface of the grub.
From "Silent Spring" by Rachel Carson
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
