prostrate

adjective

pros·trate | \ ˈprä-ˌstrāt

Definition of prostrate

(Entry 1 of 2)

1 : stretched out with face on the ground in adoration or submission also : lying flat

2 : completely overcome and lacking vitality, will, or power to rise was prostrate from the heat

3 : trailing on the ground : procumbent prostrate shrubs

prostrate

verb

pros·trate | \ ˈprä-ˌstrāt

, especially British prä-ˈstrāt\

prostrated; prostrating

Definition of prostrate (Entry 2 of 2)

transitive verb

1 : to throw or put into a prostrate position

2 : to put (oneself) in a humble and submissive posture or state the whole town had to prostrate itself in official apology— Claudia Cassidy

3 : to reduce to submission, helplessness, or exhaustion was prostrated with grief

Synonyms & Antonyms Choose the Right Synonym The Difference Between Prone, Supine, and Prostrate More Example Sentences Learn More about prostrate

Keep scrolling for more

Choose the Right Synonym for prostrate

Adjective

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

The Difference Between Prone, Supine, and Prostrate

Adjective

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.

Examples of prostrate in a Sentence

Adjective

The police found the body in a prostrate position. She was lying prostrate on the bed. They were prostrate from the heat.

Verb

an athlete prostrated for weeks by a bout of pneumonia the huge increase in gas prices really prostrated the nation's economic engine

Recent Examples on the Web: Adjective

Masked officers carried away prostrate protesters and hurled them into police vans. — The Economist, "Kazakhstan’s choreographed election goes off-script," 15 June 2019 The lead androgynous figure pulls a cart with a prostrate form (one of two in the piece, which provide much of the work’s tension) atop that could be either victim or royalty, depending on the viewer’s frame of mind. — Lillian Dondero, ELLE Decor, "What to Expect at This Year's Politically-Charged Whitney Biennial," 14 June 2019 Masked security forces carried away prostrate protesters and hurled them into police vans. — The Economist, "Kazakhstan’s choreographed election goes off script," 10 June 2019 In England, youth soccer players of all backgrounds can be found commemorating their goals as Salah does, raising their hands skyward and kneeling prostrate in sujud on the field. — Grant Wahl, SI.com, "After Remarkable Rise, Mohamed Salah Shoulders Egypt's World Cup Hopes," 29 May 2018 Ere this dust cleared away, photographers, motion picture men and souvenir hunters had scrambled over the ruins of the prostrate tower like ants teeming about a disturbed hill. — sandiegouniontribune.com, "Train tower toppled," 19 Mar. 2018 Lawrence Rines, after a quick manège of low jetés, stepped through his seven prostrate comrades like an NFL running back doing the tire drill. — Jeffrey Gantz, BostonGlobe.com, "Boston Ballet opens with high-octane ‘Parts in Suite’," 11 Mar. 2018 But then things got a little crazy: A prostrate woman had caused a small pileup, and Ms. Ma was heading straight for it. — Dan Levin, New York Times, "How Immigrants Become Truly Canadian: On the Ski Slopes," 28 Feb. 2018 Scores of fellow believers were prostrate in the middle of the avenue, praying before the start of the city’s Muslim Day parade. — Sarah Maslin Nir, New York Times, "A Rabbi, an Imam and a Message of Inclusion at a Muslim Parade," 24 Sep. 2017

Recent Examples on the Web: Verb

Many of the visitors prostrated themselves at her feet and then took selfies. — Niha Masih, Washington Post, "Meet one of India’s most divisive new legislators: A Hindu nun charged with terrorism," 13 June 2019 Keep your arms out while prostrating your upper body toward the floor. — Malia Wollan, New York Times, "How to Curtsy," 9 May 2018 Cities and states, for one, seem eager to prostrate themselves and blame themselves for not offering up the greatest financial sacrifice of public money. — Patrick Sisson, Curbed, "Amazon HQ2 subsidies are deeply unpopular, but far from uncommon," 14 Nov. 2018 Zanka and Schindler prostrated themselves before every shot; Depoitre and Mooy harried for every ball; Jonas Lossl made one of the saves of the season. — SI.com, "Huddersfield Town Keep the Magic Alive in a League of Big Spenders and Heavy Hitters," 10 May 2018 This year, a host of American cities vilely prostrated themselves to Amazon in the hopes of winning its promised, new second headquarters. — Bruce Sterling, The Atlantic, "Stop Saying 'Smart Cities'," 12 Feb. 2018 The public became accustomed to images of generals and politicians prostrating themselves in front of their constitutional monarch. — Hannah Beech, New York Times, "Thailand Prepares for a King’s $90 Million Cremation Ceremony," 25 Oct. 2017 In order to stay in power Lenin had prostrated Russia before Germany with the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk, by which Russia renounced claims on vast amounts of territory including the Baltic states, Poland and Ukraine. — Olga Ingurazova, Smithsonian, "What Ever Happened to the Russian Revolution?," 29 Sep. 2017 The Establishment, on the other hand, is terrified of any schism, and willing to prostrate itself in the service of unity. — Jonathan Chait, Daily Intelligencer, "Trump, Roy Moore, and the Craven Surrender of the GOP Establishment," 28 Sep. 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'prostrate.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.