prostrate
Americanverb (used with object)
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to cast (oneself ) face down on the ground in humility, submission, or adoration.
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to lay flat, as on the ground.
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to throw down level with the ground.
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to overthrow, overcome, or reduce to helplessness.
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to reduce to physical weakness or exhaustion.
adjective
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lying flat or at full length, as on the ground.
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lying face down on the ground, as in token of humility, submission, or adoration.
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overthrown, overcome, or helpless.
a country left prostrate by natural disasters.
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physically weak or exhausted.
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utterly dejected or depressed; disconsolate.
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Botany. (of a plant or stem) lying flat on the ground.
adjective
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lying with the face downwards, as in submission
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exhausted physically or emotionally
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helpless or defenceless
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(of a plant) growing closely along the ground
verb
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to bow or cast (oneself) down, as in submission
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to lay or throw down flat, as on the ground
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to make helpless or defenceless
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to make exhausted
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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prostratesimple
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prostratessimple
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have prostratedperfect
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has prostratedperfect
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are prostratingprogressive
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am prostratingprogressive
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is prostratingprogressive
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have been prostratingperfect progressive
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has been prostratingperfect progressive
Past
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prostratedsimple
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had prostratedperfect
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was prostratingprogressive
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were prostratingprogressive
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had been prostratingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of prostrate
First recorded in 1350–1400; (for the adjective) Middle English prostrat, from Latin prōstrātus “lying flat,” past participle of prōsternere “to lie flat, knock down, overthrow,” from prō- pro- 1 + sternere “to lay out, stretch, spread”; verb derivative of the adjective
Explanation
The verb prostrate means to lie face-downward in submission or despair. More generally, it means to make helpless or defenseless. Illness, injury, grief, despair — any of these things can prostrate someone. The word prostrate traces back to the Latin word prostratus, meaning “thrown down.” If you are prostrate, you feel thrown down and laid flat. It can describe lying on the ground in a helpless position, or it can be used to describe someone who has been overcome or made unable to function, such as someone who is prostrated by grief or illness.
Vocabulary lists containing prostrate
The Lazy, Hazy Days of Summer
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Julius Caesar
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The Call of the Wild
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Leading robotic urological surgeon Professor Prokar Dasgupta said it felt "almost as if I was there" as he carried out a prostrate removal on Paul Buxton.
From BBC • Mar. 6, 2026
Department of Health and Human Services now requires consent for breast, pelvic, prostrate and rectal exams for “educational and training purposes” performed by medical students, nurse practitioners or physician assistants.
From Seattle Times • Apr. 1, 2024
After the assassination of Darius III by disgruntled Persian nobles that same year, however, Alexander claimed the Persian throne and introduced Persian customs to his court, such as having his subjects prostrate themselves before him.
From Textbooks • Apr. 19, 2023
Jefferson Davis lies prostrate at the Valentine, a downtown Richmond museum.
From New York Times • Dec. 26, 2022
Louisiana’s grandmother had a tissue in her hand, and she waved it back and forth in front of her face and said to no one in particular, “I am positively prostrate with grief.”
From "Raymie Nightingale" by Kate DiCamillo
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
