recumbent

American  

[ri-kuhm-buhnt] / rɪˈkʌm bənt /

adjective

1. lying down; reclining; leaning.

   Synonyms:

   inclined, prostrate, supine, prone

2. inactive; idle.

3. Zoology, Botany. noting a part that leans or reposes upon its surface of origin.

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noun

1. a recumbent person, animal, plant, etc.

recumbent British  

/ rɪˈkʌmbənt /

adjective

1. lying down; reclining

2. (of a part or organ) leaning or resting against another organ or the ground

   a recumbent stem

3. (of a fold in a rock formation) in which the axial plane is nearly horizontal

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Other Word Forms

• recumbence noun
• recumbency noun
• recumbently adverb
• unrecumbent adjective
• unrecumbently adverb

Etymology

Origin of recumbent

1765–75; < Latin recumbent- (stem of recumbēns ), present participle of recumbere to lie back, equivalent to re- re- + cumb-, akin to cubāre to lie down + -ent- -ent

Example Sentences

A tiny chalk drawing of a recumbent lion by Rembrandt sold for $17.9 million on Wednesday, the latest sign that the art market is roaring back following a yearslong slump.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 4, 2026

After class, he hangs around in the small gym adjacent to the activity room and rides the recumbent bike.

From MarketWatch • Nov. 5, 2025

As we made our way along the buttery-smooth pavement of the recently extended Chief Ladiga trail, our group passed an older rider on a recumbent bicycle.

From Slate • Aug. 31, 2025

She remains recumbent for an entire number, singing to a skeleton, before the bones around her reveal themselves as dancers in masks, convulsing to the humongous bassline synths of “Disease.”

From Salon • Apr. 16, 2025

Too terrified of crevasses to wander far from camp, I spent most of my time recumbent in the tent—the ceiling was too low to allow my sitting upright— fighting a rising chorus of doubts.

From "Into the Wild" by Jon Krakauer