Meaning & use
paralyze
To cause a loss of the ability to move or feel part or all of the body.
See it in a sentence
The accident left him paralyzed from the waist down for the rest of his life.
Fear seemed to paralyze her completely, and she couldn't say a single word.
A note on using this word
Paralyze is often used figuratively to describe being unable to act or decide, not only in its literal medical sense.
Words with a similar meaning
immobilizeincapacitate
Choose a synonym to suit the sentence. Meanings can overlap without being identical.
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