1
as in exhausted
depleted in strength, energy, or freshness
prostrate marathoners typically spend the day after the race recovering
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in weak
lacking bodily strength
prostrate with fear as the bombs began dropping
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in to weaken
to diminish the physical strength of
an athlete prostrated for weeks by a bout of pneumonia
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2
as in to paralyze
to render powerless, ineffective, or unable to move
the huge increase in gas prices really prostrated the nation's economic engine
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in to overwhelm
to subject to incapacitating emotional or mental stress
a widow prostrated by crushing grief
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4
as in to down
to strike (someone) so forcefully as to cause a fall
the boxer bragged that he could prostrate any opponent with a single blow
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of prostrate
Dennis Peck, oregonlive, 14 Aug. 2022
Johnson then stood over the prostrate Davis and fired two more times into his head, prosecutors said.
—Washington Post, 5 Apr. 2022
Ron Cunningham, The Orlando Sentinel, 8 June 2025
King David named it as a site for prayer and would prostrate himself there.
—Michael Goldstein, Forbes.com, 23 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for prostrate
Adjective
An excellent prostrate variety well suited to rockeries and pathways.
—Dennis Peck, oregonlive, 14 Aug. 2022
Johnson then stood over the prostrate Davis and fired two more times into his head, prosecutors said.
—Washington Post, 5 Apr. 2022
Verb
Basically a man who had built a solid reputation as a career university president naively entered the Church of Florida Autocracy, donned sackcloth and ashes and prostrated himself … ultimately for no heavenly reward whatsoever.
—Ron Cunningham, The Orlando Sentinel, 8 June 2025
King David named it as a site for prayer and would prostrate himself there.
—Michael Goldstein, Forbes.com, 23 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for prostrate
Recent Examples of Synonyms for prostrate
Adjective
-
Founders may feel emotionally exhausted or addicted to the thrill of building.—
Anuradha Gupta,
Forbes.com,
19 Sep. 2025
-
From severe morning sickness to complications that required hospitalization, the experience left me exhausted and anxious about the possibility of going through it again.—
Harriette Cole,
Mercury News,
18 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
Kleptocratic governments are not weak or failing, Chayes argues in this paradigm-shifting 2015 book.—
Zephyr Teachout,
The Atlantic,
22 Sep. 2025
-
The plan to tap geothermal energy answered the key question of power provision, getting around Africa’s chronically weak grids with the green, baseload electricity required for digital infrastructure.—
Alexis Akwagyiram,
semafor.com,
22 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
While landslide risk is relatively low overall, equipment and habitats should avoid steep or quake-prone areas.—
Christopher McFadden,
Interesting Engineering,
21 Sep. 2025
-
The shooting marks another instance of gun violence erupting at a place in the US not usually prone to danger.—
Chris Boyette,
CNN Money,
21 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
And, in the process, weakening the ability of American tech companies, many of them based in California, to achieve their goals.—
The Editorial Board,
Oc Register,
26 Sep. 2025
-
Winds will continue to weaken later in the afternoon, while flooding across the high terrain in the Central Azores is also expected to subside.—
Julia Gomez,
USA Today,
26 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
My anxiety about all this was paralyzing me.—
Zadie Smith,
New Yorker,
22 Sep. 2025
-
Protests erupted across the Philippines and paralyzed the capital Manila on Sunday over a corruption scandal involving flood-control projects in a nation battered by storms and poverty.—
Chad de Guzman,
Time,
21 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Feehan dominated the third and fourth sets to overwhelm the Bishops and earn a bounce-back 3-1 win (25-27, 26-24, 25-8, 25-9) at McIntyre Gymnasium after dropping its first match of the season last week.—
Greg Dudek,
Boston Herald,
23 Sep. 2025
-
There is a murky risk that old movies will attract old people, who, as a rule, like nothing better than to rummage through their recollections of being overwhelmed by something half a century ago.—
Anthony Lane,
New Yorker,
22 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Please send your reports of hail or wind damage, including trees or large limbs downed, by calling the National Weather Service office in Wilmington at 1 800 697 3901.—
NC Weather Bot,
Charlotte Observer,
26 Sep. 2025
-
Report downed power lines to the police.—
CA Weather Bot,
Sacbee.com,
25 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
If tired, float or tread water until out of the rip current.—
NC Weather Bot,
Charlotte Observer,
21 Sep. 2025
-
Or, the formula comes in a radiant finish, which both makeup artists love for dull or tired skin in need of a pick-me-up.—
Lily Wohlner,
Allure,
19 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Prostrate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/prostrate. Accessed 29 Sep. 2025.
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