paralyse

«paralyse» in Mova's school dictionary: to make them lose the ability to move part or all of… — its meaning for a pupil, its sense in the lessons and examples, with 1 sentence of Mova's corpora that use it.

part of speech

verb (paralyse, paralyses, paralysed, paralysing)

meaning for a pupil

1) To paralyse someone is to make them lose the ability to move part or all of their body, through injury or illness. tree →

2) To paralyse something is to stop it working or moving normally, as snow can paralyse a city. tree →

3) To be paralysed with fear means to be so frightened that you cannot move or act. tree →

sense in the lessons

In science and health lessons, damage to the spine or nerves can paralyse; some spiders and snakes paralyse their prey with venom. In stories, characters are «paralysed with fear». In the news, strikes or storms paralyse transport. Phrases: «paralysed from the waist down», «paralysed with fear», «paralyse the city».

examples

• The accident paralysed his legs, so he uses a wheelchair. tree →
• The spider's venom paralyses the fly. tree →
• Heavy snow paralysed the city for three days. tree →
• She was paralysed with fear when she saw the bear. tree →
• The power cut paralysed the trains. tree →
• Some illnesses can paralyse muscles for a short time. tree →
• Therein lives a poor paralysed girl; the window of her little room looks northward, the sun does not enter here. tree →

note

British spelling «paralyse», American «paralyze». Noun «paralysis», adjective «paralysed» or «paralytic». Be respectful: people who are paralysed can live full lives; say «a person who uses a wheelchair», not unkind names.

In the corpora

• Four friends lowered a paralysed man through a roof to Jesus, who forgave him and healed him.

Trees and pragmatics

Every meaning and example of «paralyse» parsed by Mova, each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.