Showing results for paralyze. Search instead for paralyzable.

Synonyms

paralyze

American

[par-uh-lahyz] / ˈpær əˌlaɪz /

especially British, paralyse

verb (used with object)

to affect with paralysis.
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

Inflected Forms

Participles

Conjugated Forms

Present

Past

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.

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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:

paralyze paralyzes paralyzed paralyzing

But Taiwanese defense experts have taken away a different lesson: cheap equipment from a lesser military, such as dumb mines thrown in a strait, may just be enough to paralyze a superpower.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 10, 2026

The Lewiatan Confederation, an NGO representing Polish entrepreneurs, argues the move "could paralyze the labour market".

From Barron's ● Jan. 20, 2026

Carol wants to save humanity, yet her angry outbursts can paralyze the entire planet with pain.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 24, 2025

It can feel exhausting to think about what can happen in the next four years, and it’s important that we take a minute to acknowledge these emotions, but we cannot let them paralyze us.

From Salon ● Nov. 29, 2024

One thing was certainly true: Something did paralyze your sense of smell in this place, because Matt no longer noticed the foul air.

From "The House of the Scorpion" by Nancy Farmer

Meanwhile, Salieri’s invisible seething paralyzes him, turning into the punishment he believes God inflicted on him.

From Salon ● May 16, 2026

What if an earthquake paralyzes an entire region?

From Science Daily ● Oct. 19, 2023

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

Levamisole paralyzes them, whereas the newly discovered small molecule—dubbed selectivin—kills them outright.

From Science Magazine ● May 25, 2023

I’m not sure what it is, but it paralyzes me.

From "Every Day" by David Levithan

This individual had experienced serious physical disabilities, including a paralyzed arm, arthritis, hearing loss, and partial blindness.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 31, 2026

The movement that paralyzed Paris eight years ago is joining a widening collection of protest groups challenging authorities.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 24, 2026

While U.S. automakers have so far been insulated in their home market from Chinese competition, they, too, seem paralyzed with indecision.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 17, 2026

She then jumped out of a second-story window, leaving her paralyzed from the waist down and using a wheelchair.

From Barron's ● Aug. 28, 2026

For three days, Yakima was paralyzed and cut off from the world, its airport closed, its approach roads impassable.

From "A Short History of Nearly Everything" by Bill Bryson

There’s a deep freeze paralyzing the labor market—and it’s hitting college-educated workers hard.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 18, 2026

FARGO, N.D.—Oak Reile was delivering a pallet of washer fluid, cigarettes and candy to a local convenience store in 2020 when he slipped and fell, breaking two vertebrae and paralyzing him from the armpits down.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 2, 2026

Paz is facing paralyzing country-wide protests and calls for his resignation.

From Barron's ● Jun. 4, 2026

Millions of Americans were facing dangerously cold temperatures Monday in the wake of a massive winter storm that whipped snow and ice across the country, knocking out power and paralyzing transportation.

From Barron's ● Jan. 26, 2026

Once a jockey let it into his head, it would rise up over him on the track, paralyzing him.

From "Seabiscuit: An American Legend" by Laura Hillenbrand

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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023