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
Washington Post, 5 Apr. 2022
As a prostrate Johnson held his head in both hands in disbelief, Spurs coach Gregg Popovich chose to hold his head high.
—Jeff McDonald, San Antonio Express-News, 31 Mar. 2022
Lawrence Wright, The New Yorker, 10 Feb. 2025
Some of the nuns prostrate themselves while praying before the Eucharist.
—Lawrence Wright, The New Yorker, 10 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for prostrate
Adjective
Johnson then stood over the prostrate Davis and fired two more times into his head, prosecutors said.
—Washington Post, 5 Apr. 2022
As a prostrate Johnson held his head in both hands in disbelief, Spurs coach Gregg Popovich chose to hold his head high.
—Jeff McDonald, San Antonio Express-News, 31 Mar. 2022
Verb
The nuns prostrated themselves in prayer, and Father Miguel doused us all in holy water.
—Lawrence Wright, The New Yorker, 10 Feb. 2025
Some of the nuns prostrate themselves while praying before the Eucharist.
—Lawrence Wright, The New Yorker, 10 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for prostrate
Recent Examples of Synonyms for prostrate
Adjective
-
After overseeing five issues in a nine-month tenure at the helm, an exhausted Johnson returned to American Medical News full time in 1990, and Chicago Times folded several months later.—
Bob Goldsborough,
Chicago Tribune,
27 June 2025
-
The exhausted face of its owner, a tech executive ending another 14-hour workday, tells quite another.—
Pavi Theva,
Forbes.com,
26 June 2025
Adjective
-
The inference here is that women’s speech is coded as weak and men’s, the direct opposite.—
Megan C. Reynolds,
Time,
27 June 2025
-
Total textile and apparel exports declined from $44.4 billion in fiscal year 2022 to $35.8 billion in fiscal year 2024 (ending March 31), due to weak global demand and elevated production costs.—
Mayu Saini,
Sourcing Journal,
27 June 2025
Adjective
-
These destinations are prone to extreme weather, such as hurricanes, typhoons, and cyclones, which can disrupt daily life and damage infrastructure.—
Kathleen Peddicord,
Forbes.com,
30 June 2025
-
The heat and nutrients can make the sea grass more prone to disease according to the Fish and Wildlife Conservancy.—
Ashley Miznazi,
Miami Herald,
30 June 2025
Verb
-
But in an unexpected ruling in 2023, the Supreme Court declined an invitation to weaken Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act.—
June 27,
CBS News,
27 June 2025
-
Abandoning recognition can erode motivation, diminish engagement and make employees feel invisible, weakening the cultural fabric and undermining long-term resilience.—
Expert Panel®,
Forbes.com,
27 June 2025
Verb
-
Trump deserves credit for ignoring the voices in Washington who counsel inaction out of an understandable but often paralyzing fear of unintended consequences.—
The Editors,
National Review,
24 June 2025
-
To all who saw Iran as a behemoth, were daunted by its deterrence and paralyzed by its threats, these are days of reckoning.—
HUSSEIN AGHA,
Foreign Affairs,
23 June 2025
Verb
-
This can overwhelm analysts and lead to alert fatigue.—
Bhupendra Singh,
Forbes.com,
1 July 2025
-
Among other things, a lack of staff hampered the State Emergency Response Team’s ability to maintain a 24-hour operation that was supposed to support local and county officials who were overwhelmed by the massive storm.—
Jennifer Berry Hawes,
ProPublica,
27 June 2025
Verb
-
Alexander Bublik captured his first ATP Tour title of the 2025 campaign by downing Daniil Medvedev in straight sets, to claim the Halle Open for a second time in three years.—
Leon Imber,
New York Times,
22 June 2025
-
Wind gusts downed trees and power lines, the reports said.—
Jeanine Santucci,
USA Today,
21 June 2025
Adjective
-
Mowing Lawns Homeowners are usually away on vacation or are probably too tired to maintain their yards.—
Sho Dewan,
Forbes.com,
23 June 2025
-
But, in Dick’s opinion, Charlie grew tired of baseball’s daily grind.—
Patrick Saunders,
Denver Post,
22 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Prostrate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/prostrate. Accessed 6 Jul. 2025.
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