paralyze
Other forms: paralyzed; paralyzing; paralyzes
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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Vocabulary lists containing paralyze
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