prone

1 of 2

adjective

ˈprōn How to pronounce prone (audio)
Synonyms of pronenext
1
: having a tendency or inclination : being likely
—often used with to
prone to forget names
His relatives are prone to heart disease.
Those batteries are prone to corrosion.
a process that's prone to error
… a great quarterback prone to the occasional, inevitable mistake.—John McGrath
This means the results should be interpreted cautiously, as smaller sample sizes are prone to being influenced by chance.—nhs.uk
—often used in combination
accident-prone
a drought-prone region
2
a
: having the front or ventral surface of a body facing downward : lying with the chest and stomach positioned downward
a patient placed in a prone position
The victim was lying prone in the street.
b
: lying flat or prostrate
prone stems
prone adverb
pronely adverb
pronely positioned
lying pronely
proneness
ˈprōn-nəs How to pronounce prone (audio)
noun
proneness to jealousy
accident-proneness

prone

2 of 2

verb

proned; proning; prones
1
transitive medical : to place (oneself or another person) in a prone position with the chest and stomach facing downward especially to increase blood oxygenation
Ventilated patients are typically proned for 16 hours, but at Mass General, Dr. [C. Corey] Hardin said, some are proned for 24 or 48 hours.—Pam Belluck
If patients are alert, they can turn, or prone, themselves every couple hours. If they're ventilated, it could take a team of up to half a dozen health care workers 20 minutes to carefully prone a patient, who might then stay on their stomach for up to 24 hours.—Mallory Moench
see also proning entry 1
2
a
transitive : to cause or order (a person) to lie flat on the ground with the face and stomach facing downward
They were proned and handcuffed.
He was ordered to prone himself.
—often used with out
… [Sergeant Jeremy] Glass said handcuffing in the prone position is the method that is taught under the state's Basic Law Enforcement Training standards. …"Subjects end up being proned out in about 60% of physical force encounters …," Glass said.—John Henderson
Humboldt County Sheriff's Office Lt. Steve Knight said deputies found the man …. Two deputies drew their firearms and "proned him out at gunpoint," Knight said … .—Luke Ramseth
b
intransitive : to lie flat on one's stomach on the ground
—usually used with out
He immediately proned out when told to do so.

Did you know?

The Difference Between Prone, Supine, and Prostrate

In literal use, prone and supine indicate contrasting positions of the body: a person lying prone is facing downward while a person lying supine is face up.

Both prone and supine also have meanings that have nothing to do with physical position. Supine, in keeping with the image of one lying comfortably idle, can be applied to those who are willing to be controlled by others, or who show mental or moral slackness, as in "supine obedience" or "supine inaction."

Prone is used in the sense of "having a tendency or inclination," as in "prone to worry" or "accident-prone." This usage is similar to such words as apt, liable, or likely (as in "apt to be late"), but in many instances prone implies a vulnerability to attack or damaging influence, in keeping with the image of one lying face down and unable to see what is approaching.

The word prostrate too has meanings to do with body position. It is used with the very specific meaning of "stretched out with face on the ground in adoration or submission," but is also used simply to mean "lying flat." In figurative use, prostrate means "completely overcome and lacking vitality, will, or power to rise," as in "prostrate in fear."

So while prone, supine, and prostrate have specific meanings with regard to body position, they also come with situational connotations in many cases: prone suggests exposure or vulnerability; supine connotes a position of weakness or passivity; and prostrate implies submission in the face of being overcome.

Synonyms

Adjective

See all Synonyms & Antonyms in Thesaurus 
Choose the Right Synonym for prone

prone, supine, prostrate, recumbent mean lying down.

prone implies a position with the front of the body turned toward the supporting surface.

push-ups require a prone position

supine implies lying on one's back and suggests inertness or abjectness.

lying supine on the couch

prostrate implies lying full-length as in submission, defeat, or physical collapse.

a runner fell prostrate at the finish line

recumbent implies the posture of one sleeping or resting.

a patient comfortably recumbent in a hospital bed

synonyms see in addition liable

Examples of prone in a Sentence

Adjective Hull then corralled the rebound and shoveled the puck past the left arm and leg of the prone Hasek with his forehand, touching off a wild on-ice celebration. —Michael Farber, Sports Illustrated, 28 June 1999
I too have been prone on my couch this week, a victim of the common cold. —Flannery O'Connor, letter, 20 Mar. 1961
My almond tree lies prone across the court, blown down by a gale. —Conrad Aiken, letter, 3 Oct. 1930
he was prone to emotional outbursts under stress quickly subdue the suspect and get him into a prone position
Recent Examples on the Web
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.
Adjective
The stock is prone to big moves after reporting earnings and can easily gap up if the numbers are strong. —Adam Sarhan, Forbes, 20 Nov. 2024 Find out more tips, plus recommendations for tights that are less prone to ripping. —Elizabeth Both, NBC News, 11 Nov. 2024
Verb
Along with their regular nursing duties, patients needed to be proned, or flipped, multiple times a day just to breathe. —Brandy Zadrozny, NBC News, 10 Apr. 2023 See all Example Sentences for prone 

Word History

Etymology

Adjective

Middle English, from Latin pronus bent forward, tending; akin to Latin pro forward — more at for

Verb

derivative of prone entry 1

First Known Use

Adjective

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

1971, in the meaning defined at sense 2b

Time Traveler
The first known use of prone was in the 14th century

Phrases Containing prone

Dictionary Entries Near prone

pronator

prone

prone float

See More Nearby Entries 

Cite this Entry

“Prone.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/prone. Accessed 26 Nov. 2024.

Copy Citation

Share

Kids Definition

prone

adjective
ˈprōn How to pronounce prone (audio)
1
: likely to be or act a certain way
was prone to laziness
accident-prone
2
: lying flat
especially : lying face down
he was prone on the floor
prone adverb
proneness
ˈprōn-nəs How to pronounce prone (audio)
noun

Medical Definition

prone

1 of 2 adjective
ˈprōn How to pronounce prone (audio)
: having the front or ventral surface of a body facing downward : lying with the chest and stomach positioned downward
a patient placed in a prone position

prone

2 of 2 verb
proned; proning

transitive verb

: to place (oneself or another person) in a prone position with the chest and stomach facing downward especially to increase blood oxygenation
One of the interesting things they noticed as they analyzed the data was that patients with COVID-19 who were "proned" had a much higher chance of survival than patients who stayed on their backs.—Nancy Burns-Fusaro, The Westerly (Rhode Island) Sun
If patients are alert, they can turn, or prone, themselves every couple hours. If they're ventilated, it could take a team of up to half a dozen health care workers 20 minutes to carefully prone a patient, who might then stay on their stomach for up to 24 hours.—Mallory Moench, The San Francisco Chronicle
see also proning

More from Merriam-Webster on prone

Nglish: Translation of prone for Spanish Speakers

Britannica English: Translation of prone for Arabic Speakers

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See All

How to Use Em Dashes (—), En Dashes (–) , and Hyphens (-)

Plural and Possessive Names: A Guide

The Difference Between 'i.e.' and 'e.g.'

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?
See All

Popular in Wordplay

See All

Terroir, Oenophile, & Magnum: Ten Words About Wine

8 Words for Lesser-Known Musical Instruments

10 Words from Taylor Swift Songs (Merriam's Version)

9 Superb Owl Words

15 Words That Used to Mean Something Different
See All

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Word Game Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
little chihuahua dressing like a turkey for thanksgiving
Is That Gratitude or Attitude? A Thanksgiving Quiz Decide which words express gratitude and which gi...