WordGarden.ioprostrate
C2Pronunciation
UK
- /ˈprɒstreɪt/not-comparableadjective
US
- /ˈprɑstreɪt/
Meanings
Adjective
so weak, exhausted, or overwhelmed as to be unable to act
lying stretched out flat with the face downward
growing flat along the ground instead of upright
Verb
to throw oneself down flat in worship, submission, or supplication
to reduce someone to extreme weakness or helplessness
Beyond the definition
To be prostrate is to be lying flat, usually face down on the ground. Sometimes this is done on purpose as a sign of deep respect, worship, or surrender. In other cases, it describes someone who has been brought low by illness, shock, grief, or extreme tiredness. The word often carries a feeling of helplessness, as if a person has no strength left.
It can also be used for things, especially in writing, to describe something stretched out flat on the ground, such as a fallen tree. Whether the cause is reverence, sickness, or sorrow, the image is the same: someone or something laid low.
The word "prostrate" can describe both a physical position and a state of being overcome. Most literally, it means lying stretched out on the ground, often face down. In many religious or ceremonial settings, a person may prostrate themselves as a sign of deep respect, humility, worship, or surrender. In that sense, the position is intentional and meaningful.
The word is also often used for someone who has been brought low by illness, weakness, shock, or extreme tiredness. A person with a high fever might lie prostrate in bed or on the floor, too weak to rise. It can also describe emotional collapse: someone may feel prostrate with grief, fear, or despair, as if the force of the experience has flattened them.
In extended or literary use, "prostrate" can describe things as well as people. A tree blown down in a storm may lie prostrate across a road. An army, organization, or economy may be described as prostrate after a crushing defeat or disaster, meaning broken, helpless, or unable to recover quickly.
The word comes from the Latin "prostratus," meaning "thrown down." That history fits its modern uses well. Whether it refers to a deliberate act of bowing low, a body laid flat by sickness, or a person or group crushed by sorrow or defeat, the central idea is the same: being brought down and left low.
Examples
- 1
Physical position
After the blast, he was found prostrate on the floor.
- 2
Worship
The worshippers lay prostrate before the altar.
- Usageprostrate before + person/place
a formal way to describe lying flat in worship or deep respect
- 3
Exhaustion
By evening, she was prostrate with exhaustion.
- Patternprostrate with + exhaustion/illness
made so weak by it that you can barely move
- 4
Economic collapse
Years of war had left the country economically prostrate.
More examplesFewer examples
- 5
Submission
In the old story, the prisoner prostrated himself before the king.
- Phraseprostrate yourself
lie flat in front of someone as a sign of respect or submission
See also
Forms and spellings
4 forms open this card.
Main spelling
- prostrateverbadjective
Forms
- prostratedpast tenseverbadjective
- prostrating-ing formverbadjective
- prostratesverbadjective