cerebral palsy

UK: /ˌsɛrɪbrəlˈpɔːlzɪ/

WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2026

ceˈre•bral ˈpal•sy, n. [uncountable]

1. Pathology muscular weakness and difficulty in coordinating movement because of damage to the brain at birth.

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026

cere′bral pal′sy, [Pathol.]

1. Pathology a form of paralysis believed to be caused by a prenatal brain defect or by brain injury during birth, most marked in certain motor areas and characterized by difficulty in control of the voluntary muscles.

• 1920–25

cere′bral pal′sied. 

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::

cerebral palsy noun

1. a nonprogressive impairment of muscular function and weakness of the limbs, caused by lack of oxygen to the brain immediately after birth, brain injury during birth, or viral infection