prostrate

adjective

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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

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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 The doctor leaves his dead son and prostrate wife to go with the excited young man. — Kurt Vonnegut, The New Yorker, "Letters to Woofy," 23 Nov. 2020 The technique is deft and the maneuver swift as the instructor first levers his pupil onto one side, then pivots to leave him prostrate and immobilized on the dark blue mat. — Stephen Castle, New York Times, "English Gyms Offer a New Workout: Civil Disobedience," 22 Nov. 2020 The governor-general is Dame Grand Cross of the Order of St Michael and St George, whose badge depicts a white-skinned angel stomping on a prostrate black-skinned Satan. — The Economist, "Bajan bye-bye Barbados decides to dump the queen," 16 Sep. 2020 Terrence sat down on the pavement where someone had painted the white silhouette of a prostrate body, its hands manacled behind its back and angelic wings spreading from its shoulders. — Luke Mogelson, The New Yorker, "The Heart of the Uprising in Minneapolis," 15 June 2020 Since the election will be, more than anything else, a referendum on Trump, Biden may not need much more than a pulse to win this year, especially given the prostrate economy and Trump’s incompetent handling of the pandemic. — Bruce Bartlett, The New Republic, "How the Democrats Should Imitate the Republican Party," 1 June 2020 People often confuse clover with another three-leafed, prostrate plant called wood sorrel. — Steve Bender, Southern Living, "Be a Clover Lover," 15 May 2020 More videos emerged of prostrate victims, exhausted nurses and lines of coffins. — New York Times, "The U.S. Now Leads the World in Confirmed Coronavirus Cases," 26 Mar. 2020 Only the nuclear preeminence of the United States deterred Stalin from moving against an almost prostrate Western Europe. — Conrad Black, National Review, "Trump’s NATO Successes," 3 Dec. 2019 Recent Examples on the Web: Verb Local officials across hard-knock America prostrate themselves for a chance to host it. — Vauhini Vara, The Atlantic, "The One-Click Curse," 12 Feb. 2021 Such actions are unprecedented in Thailand, where those waiting for a royal motorcade regularly sit on the ground or prostrate themselves. — Grant Peck And Chris Blake, The Christian Science Monitor, "Emergency declared in Bangkok after protesters heckle royal motorcade," 15 Oct. 2020 Naird’s situation is of a man with ramrod-straight posture prostrated and disarrayed at many odd angles. — Troy Patterson, The New Yorker, "In Netflix’s “Space Force,” Steve Carell Is Stranded Between the Caustic and the Cutesy," 28 May 2020 That same confidence is also what led Minlend to prostrate on the court, dejected, after USF’s season came to a close with a narrow loss to juggernaut Gonzaga on March 9. — Hayes Gardner, The Courier-Journal, "4 countries, 12 schools, a world of confidence: What led Charles Minlend to Louisville," 15 Apr. 2020 During that service, in a sign of humble obedience, Francis prostrated himself for a few minutes on the basilica floor. — NBC News, "Here are the latest coronavirus updates from around the world.," 11 Apr. 2020 But my resolution wasn’t a self-righteous, self-prostrating chore. — Max De Haldevang, Quartz, "To be a better ally, I gave up reading books by men for 2019," 27 Dec. 2019 One protester crawled part of the route prostrated on her hands and knees, dragging bricks and empty soda cans behind her. — NBC News, "Hundreds of thousands march as Hong Kong protests near half-year mark," 8 Dec. 2019 Not even South Carolina’s Lindsey Graham may dream to prostrate himself so completely. — Kyle Whitmire, al, "Sorry, Stockholm. It’s ‘Jeff Sessions Syndrome’ now.," 15 Nov. 2019

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.