paralisar

Senses

1. 1.

   to paralyze, to immobilize

   to cause someone or something to become unable to move or function

2. 2.

   to halt, to bring to a standstill

   to stop the progress or operation of something (work, traffic, production)

3. 3.

   to freeze, to stun

   to cause someone to be unable to act due to shock, fear, or emotion

Examples

• "O acidente paralisou o trânsito na avenida principal."

  The accident paralyzed traffic on the main avenue.

• "A greve dos caminhoneiros paralisou o país por dias."

  The truckers' strike brought the country to a standstill for days.

• "O medo me paralisou e não consegui reagir."

  Fear paralyzed me and I couldn't react.

Usage

Common in news and formal contexts. Often used reflexively (paralisar-se) meaning "to become paralyzed/frozen." Frequently collocates with trânsito, produção, serviços, país, and economia. The variant "paralizar" (with z) is also used but "paralisar" is more standard in Brazilian Portuguese.