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
Timothy Gabrielli, The Conversation, 25 Aug. 2025
First each member, in turn, would prostrate himself while the others, marching in a circle, stepped over him and struck him with their scourges.
—Michael Robbins, Harpers Magazine, 20 Aug. 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
Typically, penitents would remain outside church gatherings, demonstrating their repentance by prostrating themselves, and then publicly confess.
—Timothy Gabrielli, The Conversation, 25 Aug. 2025
First each member, in turn, would prostrate himself while the others, marching in a circle, stepped over him and struck him with their scourges.
—Michael Robbins, Harpers Magazine, 20 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for prostrate
Recent Examples of Synonyms for prostrate
Adjective
-
But Butcher spent much of season four confined to a hospital bed, and as the season neared its end, Urban wasn’t exhausted.—
Aaron Couch,
HollywoodReporter,
8 May 2026
-
Maxey has looked exhausted in the first two games of the series and scored just five points in the second half after scoring 19 in the game’s first 24 minutes.—
Tony Jones,
New York Times,
7 May 2026
Adjective
-
Meanwhile, the rest of the NBA is widely expected to be more competitive next season — from the bottom tier, where anti-tanking regulations and a weaker draft class should curb teams’ intentional losing, to the upper echelons, where Oklahoma City and San Antonio stand tall.—
Bennett Durando,
Denver Post,
8 May 2026
-
Conditions change quickly, signals conflict with each other, and weak assumptions tend to get exposed without much delay.—
Lyssanoel Frater,
USA Today,
8 May 2026
Adjective
-
Bathrooms, basements, crawl spaces, laundry rooms, areas around windows and HVAC systems are some of the most common mold-prone areas in a home.—
Ryan Brennan
May 8,
Kansas City Star,
8 May 2026
-
An agency that shortcuts training is an agency prone to lethal errors.—
David Garrick,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
7 May 2026
Verb
-
The deeper the rifts between the United States and Europe over Iran, the greater the chances of weakening the NATO alliance.—
Sudarsan Raghavan,
New Yorker,
28 Apr. 2026
-
During his appearances on Capitol Hill this month, Secretary Kennendy was grilled about the administration's defense of the pesticide industry and weakening of protections against mercury pollution, another issue that Kennedy had worked on as an advocate.—
Will Stone,
NPR,
28 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Thousands of North American schools and universities were paralyzed Thursday after a ransomware attack on a key educational software provider.—
Tom Chivers,
semafor.com,
8 May 2026
-
The man convicted of pushing a woman into a moving New York City subway car, leaving her paralyzed, was sentenced on Wednesday to 20 years in prison.—
Alexa Herrera,
CBS News,
6 May 2026
Verb
-
This is the monthly observing window — when moonlight no longer overwhelms the fainter stars and the sky begins to reveal itself again.—
Jamie Carter,
Space.com,
8 May 2026
-
Through its trademark, Federal Retirement Made Simple™, this observation has informed FEBA’s ongoing focus on education, with an emphasis on making complex systems more understandable without overwhelming the individual.—
Jason Phillips,
USA Today,
8 May 2026
Verb
-
Credit is due to Patrick Bertoletti, who downed 58 dogs and buns in Chestnut's absence to take home the title two years ago.—
Ryan Morik,
FOXNews.com,
6 May 2026
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Russia's Defense Ministry, meanwhile, claimed to have downed at least 53 Ukrainian drones overnight.—
David Brennan,
ABC News,
6 May 2026
Adjective
-
Satonica credited Burse with reviving Grady’s professional governance, noticing tired nurses and overwhelmed leaders.—
Laura Berrios,
AJC.com,
7 May 2026
-
Gee, can't imagine why fans were tired of Mark Hamill towards the end!—
Zach Dean OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
7 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Prostrate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/prostrate. Accessed 12 May. 2026.
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