From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishprostratepros‧trate1 /ˈprɒstreɪt $ ˈprɑː-/ adjective 1 LIE DOWNlying on your front with your face towards the ground They found him lying prostrate on the floor.prostrate body/figure/form2 UPSETtoo shocked, upset, weak etc to be able to do anythingprostrate with Julie was prostrate with grief after her father’s death. —prostration /prɒˈstreɪʃən $ prɑː-/ noun [countable, uncountable]
Examples from the Corpus
prostrate• The rocking had ceased and most of the congregation were prostrate.• The stem is delicate, seldom branching, prostrate, and rooting as a marsh plant.• Annes has fallen prostrate before the field.• He lay prostrate before the Lord as his body was wracked with sobs.• the nation's prostrate economy• Pulling a torch from this pocket he played the beam across her prostrate form.• Everywhere doctors and nurses were bending over prostrate forms, and shouting orders and instructions.• Their crews are prostrate in the shade, trying to escape the excruciating, oven heat.• They found him lying prostrate on the floor.• When he left she'd been prostrate upon her bed.prostrate body/figure/form• He flicked his wrist and sent it cracking high over Luke's prostrate body.• Pulling a torch from this pocket he played the beam across her prostrate form.• Everywhere doctors and nurses were bending over prostrate forms, and shouting orders and instructions.• Landing over the first fence he crashed into the prostrate form of the faller Meon Valley and was brought down.• The referee made a sweeping gesture with his arm over the prostrate figure of the white fighter.• They surged forward around the prostrate figure on the ground and then shrank back.• Over our prostrate forms the bullets are hissing and shells shrieking.prostratepro‧strate2 /prəˈstreɪt $ ˈprɑːstreɪt/ verb 1 → prostrate yourself2 [transitive] to make someone too shocked, upset, or weak to be able to do anything They were prostrated by grief.Grammar Prostrate is usually passive in this meaning.→ See Verb tableExamples from the Corpus
prostrate• I spun around to find that he had prostrated himself on the ground and was clasping my feet.• He stood by Burun's side, knelt and bowed, then prostrated himself.• This year, Hollywood mostly prostrated itself, hunkering down until the wind from the right blows over.• At this sight Catharine, much troubled, prostrated profoundly and gradually restored the foot of Agnes to its usual position.• A sudden flurry, as of a dozen Multhrops simultaneously prostrating themselves, and the doors were flung open.• They came before the tent and prostrated themselves on the ground before following their chief to prison.• Outside they prostrate themselves on wooden prayer beds.• At Artai's back they knelt, and then prostrated themselves.Origin prostrate1 (1300-1400) Latin past participle of prosternere, from sternere “to spread out, throw down” 