paralyse

paralyse — verb

1. to take away someone's power to move a body part, or all of the body, usually be

1.動詞及物B2
釋義

to take away someone's power to move a body part, or all of the body, usually because of an injury, illness, or strong drug.

例句

The car crash paralysed Marcus from the waist down.

paralyse + somebody + from + body part

A spider bite can paralyse small frogs within seconds.

subject is the cause (toxin/animal)

同義詞
  • immobilise

    more clinical; can include splints or restraint, not only loss of nerve function

  • cripple

    older and now often considered offensive when used of people; safer for machines

  • numb

    loss of feeling only, not movement; usually temporary

反義詞
  • revive

    to bring back movement or consciousness

文法句型

paralyse + somebody/something

be paralysed (from + body part)

be paralysed by + cause

用法筆記

Frequently passive, especially with 'from the waist down', 'from the neck down', or 'in [body part]'. Subject in active voice is usually the cause (an injury, drug, or animal), not the affected person.

常見錯誤

❌The doctor paralysed his leg.
✅The injury paralysed his leg.
💡the subject should be the cause (injury, drug, illness), not the doctor or the patient.
❌Marcus paralysed from the waist down.
✅Marcus was paralysed from the waist down.
💡this sense is almost always passive when the affected person is the subject.

2. to stop a place, system, or person from doing what they normally do — for exampl

2.動詞及物B2
釋義

to stop a place, system, or person from doing what they normally do — for example, when a strike halts trains, or when fear keeps someone from speaking or moving.

例句

A two-day strike paralysed the buses and trains across Taipei.

subject = event; object = transport system

Heavy snow paralysed the airport for almost twelve hours.

weather event paralysing infrastructure

同義詞
  • cripple

    stronger; suggests long-lasting damage to a system or organisation

  • freeze

    more about a sudden, brief stop, especially of a person's body

  • shut down

    more complete stop; often deliberate, not caused by panic or disruption

反義詞
  • mobilise

    to get a group or system moving and active again

文法句型

paralyse + something (system/city/economy)

be paralysed by + fear/event

用法筆記

Distinguish from sense 1: here nothing physical is damaged — a city, network, or person is simply unable to act. In the passive 'be paralysed by + emotion' (fear, shock, grief), the cause is feeling, not injury.

常見錯誤

❌The strike paralysed.
✅The strike paralysed the city.
💡this sense always needs an object naming what was stopped.
❌Fear paralysed her body for one minute.
✅Fear paralysed her for a moment.
💡when the cause is an emotion, the object is usually the person, not a body part.