prone

1 of 2

adjective

ˈprōn 

1

: having a tendency or inclination : being likely

—often used with to

prone to forget names

His relatives are prone to heart disease.

Those batteries are prone to corrosion.

a process that's prone to error

… a great quarterback prone to the occasional, inevitable mistake.

—John McGrath

This means the results should be interpreted cautiously, as smaller sample sizes are prone to being influenced by chance.

—nhs.uk

—often used in combination

accident-prone

a drought-prone region

2

a

: having the front or ventral surface of a body facing downward : lying with the chest and stomach positioned downward

a patient placed in a prone position

The victim was lying prone in the street.

b

: lying flat or prostrate

prone stems

prone adverb

pronely adverb

pronely positioned

lying pronely

proneness

ˈprōn-nəs 

noun

proneness to jealousy

accident-proneness

prone

2 of 2

verb

proned; proning; prones

1

transitive medical : to place (oneself or another person) in a prone position with the chest and stomach facing downward especially to increase blood oxygenation

Ventilated patients are typically proned for 16 hours, but at Mass General, Dr. [C. Corey] Hardin said, some are proned for 24 or 48 hours.

—Pam Belluck

If patients are alert, they can turn, or prone, themselves every couple hours. If they're ventilated, it could take a team of up to half a dozen health care workers 20 minutes to carefully prone a patient, who might then stay on their stomach for up to 24 hours.

—Mallory Moench

see also proning entry 1

2

a

transitive : to cause or order (a person) to lie flat on the ground with the face and stomach facing downward

They were proned and handcuffed.

He was ordered to prone himself.

—often used with out

… [Sergeant Jeremy] Glass said handcuffing in the prone position is the method that is taught under the state's Basic Law Enforcement Training standards. …"Subjects end up being proned out in about 60% of physical force encounters …," Glass said.

—John Henderson

Humboldt County Sheriff's Office Lt. Steve Knight said deputies found the man …. Two deputies drew their firearms and "proned him out at gunpoint," Knight said … .

—Luke Ramseth

b

intransitive : to lie flat on one's stomach on the ground

—usually used with out

He immediately proned out when told to do so.

Did you know?

The Difference Between Prone, Supine, and Prostrate

In literal use, prone and supine indicate contrasting positions of the body: a person lying prone is facing downward while a person lying supine is face up.

Both prone and supine also have meanings that have nothing to do with physical position. Supine, in keeping with the image of one lying comfortably idle, can be applied to those who are willing to be controlled by others, or who show mental or moral slackness, as in "supine obedience" or "supine inaction."

Prone is used in the sense of "having a tendency or inclination," as in "prone to worry" or "accident-prone." This usage is similar to such words as apt, liable, or likely (as in "apt to be late"), but in many instances prone implies a vulnerability to attack or damaging influence, in keeping with the image of one lying face down and unable to see what is approaching.

The word prostrate too has meanings to do with body position. It is used with the very specific meaning of "stretched out with face on the ground in adoration or submission," but is also used simply to mean "lying flat." In figurative use, prostrate means "completely overcome and lacking vitality, will, or power to rise," as in "prostrate in fear."

So while prone, supine, and prostrate have specific meanings with regard to body position, they also come with situational connotations in many cases: prone suggests exposure or vulnerability; supine connotes a position of weakness or passivity; and prostrate implies submission in the face of being overcome.

Synonyms

Adjective

• inclined

Choose the Right Synonym for prone

prone, supine, prostrate, recumbent mean lying down.

prone implies a position with the front of the body turned toward the supporting surface.

push-ups require a prone position

supine implies lying on one's back and suggests inertness or abjectness.

lying supine on the couch

prostrate implies lying full-length as in submission, defeat, or physical collapse.

a runner fell prostrate at the finish line

recumbent implies the posture of one sleeping or resting.

a patient comfortably recumbent in a hospital bed

synonyms see in addition liable

Examples of prone in a Sentence

Adjective

Hull then corralled the rebound and shoveled the puck past the left arm and leg of the prone Hasek with his forehand, touching off a wild on-ice celebration. —Michael Farber, Sports Illustrated, 28 June 1999

I too have been prone on my couch this week, a victim of the common cold. —Flannery O'Connor, letter, 20 Mar. 1961

My almond tree lies prone across the court, blown down by a gale. —Conrad Aiken, letter, 3 Oct. 1930

he was prone to emotional outbursts under stress

quickly subdue the suspect and get him into a prone position

Recent Examples on the Web

Adjective

That’s why developer Marshall Gobuty and his team at Pearl Homes chose hurricane and flood-prone Cortez, a coastal village in Southwest Florida, to bring their new idea to life. —Ryan Ballogg, Miami Herald, 28 Oct. 2025

In fact, military buildups without diplomatic assurances are prone to be interpreted by China’s leadership as confirmations of hostile intent. —Stephen Wertheim, Foreign Affairs, 28 Oct. 2025

Verb

Along with their regular nursing duties, patients needed to be proned, or flipped, multiple times a day just to breathe. —Brandy Zadrozny, NBC News, 10 Apr. 2023

Word History

Etymology

Adjective

Middle English, from Latin pronus bent forward, tending; akin to Latin pro forward — more at for

Verb

derivative of prone entry 1

First Known Use

Adjective

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

1971, in the meaning defined at sense 2b

Phrases Containing prone

• accident-prone
• injury-prone

Rhymes for prone

• blown
• clone
• cone
• crone
• drone
• flown
• groan
• grown
• hone
• joan
• known
• loan

Kids Definition

prone

adjective

ˈprōn 

1

: likely to be or act a certain way

was prone to laziness

accident-prone

2

: lying flat

especially : lying face down

he was prone on the floor

prone adverb

proneness

ˈprōn-nəs 

noun

Medical Definition

prone

1 of 2 adjective

ˈprōn 

: having the front or ventral surface of a body facing downward : lying with the chest and stomach positioned downward

a patient placed in a prone position

prone

2 of 2 verb

proned; proning

transitive verb

: to place (oneself or another person) in a prone position with the chest and stomach facing downward especially to increase blood oxygenation

One of the interesting things they noticed as they analyzed the data was that patients with COVID-19 who were "proned" had a much higher chance of survival than patients who stayed on their backs.

—Nancy Burns-Fusaro, The Westerly (Rhode Island) Sun

If patients are alert, they can turn, or prone, themselves every couple hours. If they're ventilated, it could take a team of up to half a dozen health care workers 20 minutes to carefully prone a patient, who might then stay on their stomach for up to 24 hours.

—Mallory Moench, The San Francisco Chronicle

see also proning