prostrate 1 of 2

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as in prone
lying with the face downwards the suspects lay prostrate on the floor while the police searched the room

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

prostrate

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verb

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Synonym Chooser

How does the adjective prostrate differ from other similar words?

Some common synonyms of prostrate are prone, recumbent, and supine. While all these words mean "lying down," prostrate implies lying full-length as in submission, defeat, or physical collapse.

a runner fell prostrate at the finish line

When would prone be a good substitute for prostrate?

While in some cases nearly identical to prostrate, prone implies a position with the front of the body turned toward the supporting surface.

push-ups require a prone position

Where would recumbent be a reasonable alternative to prostrate?

The words recumbent and prostrate are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, recumbent implies the posture of one sleeping or resting.

a patient comfortably recumbent in a hospital bed

When could supine be used to replace prostrate?

While the synonyms supine and prostrate are close in meaning, supine implies lying on one's back and suggests inertness or abjectness.

lying supine on the couch

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of 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
In one of the most striking bag drawings, a weary African rhino is stretched and prostrated by its burden of western loans. Jack Denton, Vulture, 11 Oct. 2024 Dozens of pilgrims prostrated themselves in prayer, in violation of the status quo that forbids Jews from praying on the Temple Mount. Jns Staff Report, Sun Sentinel, 13 Aug. 2024 See All Example Sentences for prostrate
Recent Examples of Synonyms for prostrate
Adjective
  • The problem with doing it all the time is that exhausted people do not always make the best decisions.
    David A. Teich, Forbes, 12 Mar. 2025
  • And when those meet-ups do happen, fans are left feeling like an exhausted mother confronted with a mess in the kitchen: Not mad, but disappointed.
    Charlotte Walsh, Vulture, 12 Mar. 2025
Adjective
  • Similarly, 5GHz signals were strong in the central areas but became weaker in the garage, the den, and the kitchen area.
    PCMAG, PCMAG, 11 Mar. 2025
  • As the market sell-off gains steam, a handful of quality stocks could outperform and buck the broader weak trend for equities, according to Bernstein.
    Brian Evans, CNBC, 11 Mar. 2025
Adjective
  • After all, if the onboarding process is too cumbersome, potential customers are prone to walk away, diminishing opportunities for everyone.
    James Bruni, Forbes, 5 Mar. 2025
  • Dogs of any breed can become possessive; however, some are more naturally prone to jealousy.
    Thomas G. Moukawsher, Newsweek, 4 Mar. 2025
Verb
  • Signing Verdugo now would give the Yankees one less option to fill the Stanton void and weaken their lineup even more.
    Faisal Kutty, Newsweek, 11 Mar. 2025
  • In an all-staff e-mail, Dudek wrote: Criticism, contempt, stonewalling, and defensiveness are the four forces that can end any relationship and weaken any institution. . .
    E. Tammy Kim, The New Yorker, 11 Mar. 2025
Verb
  • Don’t let minor risks paralyze major opportunities. 5.
    Aslak de Silva, Forbes, 14 Mar. 2025
  • The memos, also obtained by ProPublica, estimated that up to 166,000 people would die from malaria due to the cuts, while 200,000 children would be paralyzed by polio.
    Dan Cody, Newsweek, 13 Mar. 2025
Verb
  • This data stored across multiple cloud environments, on-premises systems and SaaS applications has overwhelmed traditional classification methods.
    Asaf Kochan, Forbes, 14 Mar. 2025
  • The threat on European alcohol overwhelmed the positive inflation news.
    Francisco Velasquez, Quartz, 14 Mar. 2025
Verb
  • Ukrainian defenses downed 34 missiles and 100 drones, the air force said, while up to 10 missiles didn't reach their targets and 86 drones were lost from radars, presumably jammed by electronic warfare.
    arkansasonline.com, arkansasonline.com, 8 Mar. 2025
  • Ukrainian defenses downed 34 missiles and 100 drones, the air force said, while up to 10 missiles didn’t reach their targets and 86 drones were lost from radars, presumably jammed by electronic warfare.
    ILLIA NOVIKOV, Chicago Tribune, 7 Mar. 2025
Adjective
  • Sleep deprivation comes with real costs Chronic sleep deprivation does more than leave people tired.
    Joanna Fong-Isariyawongse, The Conversation, 7 Mar. 2025
  • Markets grow tired of tariff changes U.S. stocks tumbled Thursday on tariff flip-flop fatigue.
    Yeo Boon Ping, CNBC, 7 Mar. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Prostrate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/prostrate. Accessed 19 Mar. 2025.

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