prostrate 1 of 2

adjective

ˈprä-ˌstrāt How to pronounce prostrate (audio)
Definition of prostratenext
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
3
as in prone
lying with the face downwards the suspects lay prostrate on the floor while the police searched the room

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

prostrate

2 of 2

verb

ˈprä-ˌstrāt How to pronounce prostrate (audio)
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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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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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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
To his right, where the prostrate body of a dying woman was jostled in the bloody fray. — Dan Barry, New York Times, 5 Jan. 2025 Parsons, having disentangled himself from a Bears tackle, retracing his steps and leaping over a prostrate Montgomery to recover the fumble. — Dallas News, 30 Oct. 2022
Verb
Adults eagerly prostrating themselves – emotionally, literally – to worship at the altar of an organization bound by little more than laundry and shared legends. — Hannah Keyser, CNN Money, 9 June 2026 Controversial finish of the weekend, though, came at Anfield, where Crystal Palace’s Daniel Munoz chose to ruthlessly lob Liverpool’s Freddie Woodman, despite the goalkeeper lying injured and prostrate on the ground. — Phil Hay, New York Times, 27 Apr. 2026 See All Example Sentences for prostrate
Recent Examples of Synonyms for prostrate
  1. exhausted
  2. weak
  3. prone
  4. weaken
  5. cripple
  6. overwhelm
  7. down
  8. tired
Adjective
  • The buck, tongue lolling, looked exhausted from chasing and breeding his doe.
    — Michael Hanback, Outdoor Life, 14 Oct. 2026
  • If a year in, the founder is still in every meeting and the new hire is the most exhausted person in the building, the company did not hire an operator.
    — Ken Paskins, Forbes.com, 13 Oct. 2026
Definition of exhausted
Adjective
  • The age-old advice of keeping your passwords secure and being wary of suspicious emails is more important than ever as hackers gain more sophisticated tools and use AI to find more of the internet’s weak points.
    — Lisa Eadicicco, CNN Money, 26 Oct. 2026
  • Analysts expect profits and assets to cover the dividend through weaker timber periods.
    — Sebastien Chasse, CNBC, 26 Oct. 2026
Definition of weak
Adjective
  • Austin Reaves and Walker Kessler lead Lakers past the Clippers in an error-prone game.
    — Andrew J. Campa, Los Angeles Times, 25 Oct. 2026
  • While parts of the Southwest are rocky with little vegetation and are naturally prone to flash flooding, the recent rains made flooding everywhere more likely.
    — MEAD GRUVER, Arkansas Online, 24 Oct. 2026
Definition of prone
Verb
  • Conditions were expected to improve Saturday afternoon as winds weakened, with fair and dry weather forecast for the remainder of the weekend.
    — Sacbee.com, Sacbee.com, 23 Oct. 2026
  • As trust in America weakens further, other wealthy nations will make the same calculation.
    — Fareed Zakaria, Washington Post, 23 Oct. 2026
Definition of weaken
Verb
  • Over the past month, Russia has been intensifying its strikes against civilian and energy infrastructure to try to cripple the power grid before the brutal Ukrainian winter.
    — Kathryn Watson, CBS News, 21 Oct. 2026
  • According to official figures, even when the thermometer plummets to minus 22 °F (-30 °C), a situation that cripples most electric vehicles, the Atto 8 can still execute a 20 % to 97% charge in just 12 minutes.
    — New Atlas, New Atlas, 17 Oct. 2026
Definition of cripple
Verb
  • The president left office above water on the economy, with 48% approving and 41% disapproving — high numbers for a president whose last year was overwhelmed by the Covid pandemic.
    — Steve Liesman, CNBC, 26 Oct. 2026
  • Economic recovery, the official argued, must accompany political reform to prevent a future democratic government from being overwhelmed by debt, failing infrastructure, shortages, inflation and insecurity.
    — Antonio María Delgado, Miami Herald, 26 Oct. 2026
Definition of overwhelm
Verb
  • The crisis capped a week of severe weather in which rain swamped dozens of homes in Utah and tornadoes blew off roofs, knocked trees onto houses and downed power lines in Arizona.
    — MEAD GRUVER, Arkansas Online, 24 Oct. 2026
  • Even so, the government abruptly downed hundreds of trees on the course with little warning earlier this month, which critics worry was a pretext for beginning renovations.
    — Rachel Treisman, NPR, 23 Oct. 2026
Definition of down
Adjective
  • Even more popular when, instead of a tired old video tribute — hats off to the Jackets for reading the room on this one — the arena cameras went straight to Marchenko during the next stoppage.
    — Matt Reigle OutKick, FOXNews.com, 21 Oct. 2026
  • Murray says her own experience has made her more understanding when female colleagues seem more tired or irritable than usual, particularly when the behavior is out of character.
    — Jo Ann Liguori, Flow Space, 21 Oct. 2026
Definition of tired

Browse Nearby Words

prostitutions
prostrate
prostrated
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Cite this Entry

“Prostrate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/prostrate. Accessed 27 Oct. 2026.

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