paralyze
Americanverb (used with object)
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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:
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
A severe conflict may paralyze the business and destroy morale among employees.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 3, 2025
I showed up at the restaurant in a party dress, heels and a big smile, trying not to let memories of finding a table in the school cafeteria paralyze me.
From Salon ● Jul. 4, 2025
So why did that thought paralyze me with fear?
From "Tristan Strong Punches a Hole in the Sky" by Kwame Mbalia
Meanwhile, Salieri’s invisible seething paralyzes him, turning into the punishment he believes God inflicted on him.
From Salon ● May 16, 2026
However, once triggered in this context, the response effectively paralyzes the cells.
From Science Daily ● Jan. 20, 2026
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
Feeling paralyzed, she thought about hiring someone to help her, even though she didn’t want to spend the money on a landscape designer.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 10, 2026
“Uncertainty has weighed on FX volatility, which is falling,” wrote Société Générale’s veteran foreign exchange strategist Kit Juckes in a Thursday note titled “FX remains paralyzed by binary possibilities.”
From Barron's ● Apr. 23, 2026
Maybe they do blame themselves, and are paralyzed by an unfounded shame.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 14, 2026
“This attribution challenge has paralyzed the international community’s response,” Jason Hsu, a former Taiwan legislator now at the Hudson Institute, recently told a U.S. legislative commission in written testimony.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 9, 2026
Usually when I got scared I could almost outrun my shadow, but I was beyond being scared, I was paralyzed.
From "Summer of the Monkeys" by Wilson Rawls
Paz is facing paralyzing country-wide protests and calls for his resignation.
From Barron's ● Jun. 4, 2026
In 1966, he led the workers on an illegal strike, paralyzing the city and its idealistic new mayor, John V. Lindsay.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 10, 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
The warbling never improved, but it was heartening to see someone get over their paralyzing self-consciousness.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 21, 2025
That is the miracle of Greek mythology—a humanized world, men freed from the paralyzing fear of an omnipotent Unknown.
From "Mythology: Timeless Tales of Gods and Heroes" by Edith Hamilton
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.
