paralyze

[par-uh-lahyz]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR paralyze ON THESAURUS.COM

verb (used with object), par·a·lyzed, par·a·lyz·ing.

to affect with paralysis.

to bring to a condition of helpless stoppage, inactivity, or inability to act: The strike paralyzed communications.

Nearby words

Also especially British, par·a·lyse.

Origin of paralyze

1795–1805; back formation from paralysis, modeled on analyze

SYNONYMS FOR paralyze

2. See shock¹.

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR paralyze ON THESAURUS.COM

Related forms

par·a·ly·zant, adjective, nounpar·a·ly·za·tion, nounpar·a·lyz·er, nounpar·a·lyz·ing·ly, adverb

sem·i·par·a·lyzed, adjectiveun·par·a·lyzed, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for paralyzed

He was paralyzed from the waist down, a World War II veteran and had six weeks to live.
A Million Ways to Die in Prison|Daniel Genis|December 8, 2014|DAILY BEAST
This jibe comes after ads in which Davis attacked the paralyzed Abbot for not caring about other wheelchair-bound Texans.
Why D.C. Wants an Election About Nothing|Nick Gillespie|October 23, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Mark Zuckerberg is putting $25 million towards tackling an epidemic that has paralyzed the world.
How Does Zuckerberg’s Ebola Pledge Measure Up To Other Bigwig Donations?|Nina Strochlic|October 14, 2014|DAILY BEAST
It certainly allays fears that the company is stagnating under Tim Cook, too paralyzed to make decisions without its founder.
Bigger, Bolder, and Better Than Ever: Steve Jobs Would Be Proud of Today's Apple|Kyle Chayka|September 9, 2014|DAILY BEAST

In a 1964 Esquire profile, the usually savage Helen Lawrenson said his personality had paralyzed her into wordlessness.
The Stacks: Mr. Bad Taste and Trouble Himself: Robert Mitchum|Robert Ward|July 19, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The previously very active animal was paralyzed and lay in whatever position it was placed.
Handbook of Medical Entomology|William Albert Riley
The Administration appeared to be paralyzed under this new demonstration of the power and madness of the Seminoles.
The Exiles of Florida|Joshua R. Giddings
It was the joke of the place that if a German chemist arrived, all business was paralyzed until his secret was seized.
Little Journeys to the Homes of the Great, Volume 11 (of 14)|Elbert Hubbard
In Arctic lands labor is paralyzed by cold as it is by heat in the enervating and overproductive Tropics.
Influences of Geographic Environment|Ellen Churchill Semple
The dazed man gulped it down to feel a following surge of warmth and life that pulsed through his paralyzed body.
Astounding Stories of Super-Science, December 1930|Various

Word Origin and History for paralyzed

paralyze

1804, from French paralyser (16c.), from Old French paralisie "paralysis," from Latin paralysis (see paralysis). Figurative use from 1805. Related: Paralyzed; paralyzing.

Medicine definitions for paralyzed

paralyze

[păr′ə-līz′]

v.

To affect with paralysis; cause to be paralytic.

paralyze

verb (used with object), par·a·lyzed, par·a·lyz·ing.

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Origin of paralyze

Examples from the Web for paralyzed

paralyze

paralyze

v.