Definitions
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.
- transitive verb To affect with paralysis; cause to be paralytic.
- transitive verb To make unable to move or act.
- transitive verb To impair the progress or functioning of; make inoperative or powerless.
from The Century Dictionary.
- To affect with paralysis.
- To render helpless, useless, or ineffective, as if by paralysis; deaden the action or power of in any way: as, the sight paralyzed him with fear.
- Also spelled
paralyse .
from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.
- transitive verb To affect or strike with paralysis or palsy.
- transitive verb To unnerve; to destroy or impair the energy of; to render ineffective
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- verb transitive To
afflict withparalysis . - verb transitive To
render unable tomove ; toimmobilize . - verb transitive To render unable to
function properly.
from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
- verb make powerless and unable to function
- verb cause to be paralyzed and immobile
Etymologies
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License
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Examples
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The word paralyze is far too strong, in my opinion.
Tyler Cowen on Mexican Immigration, Arnold Kling | EconLog | Library of Economics and Liberty 2009
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The word paralyze is far too strong, in my opinion.
Tyler Cowen on Mexican Immigration, Arnold Kling | EconLog | Library of Economics and Liberty 2009
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Hamas or al Qaeda terrorists with shoulder-fired rockets could attack the airport and "paralyze" the country.
THE ASTUTE BLOGGERS 2010
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He also said the decision to freeze Yukos assets aimed to "paralyze" the company.
The Globe and Mail - Home RSS feed Deborah Seward 2010
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Taha also called the charges an attempt to "paralyze" his country.
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My inner voice can be awfully critical, and "paralyze" was such a great word choice!
A Motley Vision Craig Talbot 2009
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When that fight was over, we thought we had restored balance to the Senate—retaining the filibuster as a tool to require debate and deliberation, yet removing the power of a small, stubborn minority to paralyze the chamber.
The Good Fight Walter F. Mondale 2010
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When that fight was over, we thought we had restored balance to the Senate—retaining the filibuster as a tool to require debate and deliberation, yet removing the power of a small, stubborn minority to paralyze the chamber.
The Good Fight Walter F. Mondale 2010
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When that fight was over, we thought we had restored balance to the Senate—retaining the filibuster as a tool to require debate and deliberation, yet removing the power of a small, stubborn minority to paralyze the chamber.
The Good Fight Walter F. Mondale 2010
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Stalking is a crime that can paralyze an otherwise productive person with fear.
Lisa Madigan: Stalking: Know It. Name It. Stop It. Lisa Madigan 2011
Comments
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