paralyze

CEFRB2

/ˈpæɹəlaɪz/

verb

Türkçe translations

Translating…

In plain English

  1. 01

    verb

    To make someone or something unable to move or act.

  2. 02

    verb

    Extra detail

    To render unable to move; to immobilize.

Examples

  • A vampire can paralyze people just by looking at them.

  • Aggregating anemones use their tentacles to sting and paralyze prey.

At a glance

Sits at B2 on the CEFR scale

Senses
4
Parts of speech
1
Citations
1

Also pronounced

  • /ˈpæɹəlɑez/

Deep Dive

verb

Extra meanings

  1. To afflict with paralysis.

  2. To render unable to function properly.

More examples

In context

  • The transport strike paralyzed the city.

  • So I stood alone in horror / Paralyzed with fear and dread / When a voice dead and inhuman / Whispered to me "go, you fool, Warren's dead!"

Quick test

Two questions on this entry. Nothing is scored.

Question 1 · Quick check

The sudden shocking news seemed to blank her completely with intense fear.

Practise this properly in the app, where the word comes back before you forget it.

Nearby

Origin

verb

Partly a borrowing from French. Probably partly either (i) formed within English, by derivation. Or partly (ii) a borrowing from French, combined with an English element. Etymons: Middle English paralysie, -ize suffix; French paralyser.