Standard Lemma guide

prone

adj · name · verb · 9 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • Received-Pronunciation: /pɹəʊn/
  • Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • Canada, General-American: /pɹoʊn/
  • Texas: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • Australian: /pɹəʉn/
  • Australian: /pɹɐʉn/
  • New-Zealand: /pɹɐʉn/
  • rhymes with -əʊn
  • CMU ARPABET: P R OW1 N Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

adj

Meaning 1

Lying face-down.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Examples

  • prone position

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: prostrate

Antonyms: supine

2

adj

Meaning 2

Of the hand, forearm or foot: turned facing away from the body; with the thumb inward or big toe downward.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Examples

  • The hand is in the prone position typically when using a keyboard; and the forearm is then also in the prone position; when the foot is resting on the inner side of the sole, it is in the prone position.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

adj

Meaning 3

Having a downward inclination or slope.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

4

adj

Meaning 4

Shooting from a position while lying down.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Topics: government, military, politics, video-games, war

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

5

adj

Meaning 5

Predisposed, liable, inclined, given (to something) (most often, specifically to being befallen by an unsought bad outcome, rather than to undertaking a willful behavior or to having a happy accident).

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: figuratively

Examples

  • prone to failure

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

6

name

Meaning 6

Alternative form of Prome (“the city of Pyay”).

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: alt-of, alternative

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

7

verb

Meaning 7

To place in a prone position, to place face down.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Topics: medicine, sciences

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

8

adjective satellite

Meaning 8

lying face downward

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: prostrate

Antonyms: none provided

9

adjective satellite

Meaning 9

having a tendency (to); often used in combination

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • a child prone to mischief
  • failure-prone

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

From Middle English prone, proone, proon, from Latin prōnus (“turned forward, bent or inclined”), from prō (“forward”).

Across languages

Translations

105 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Asturian: de focicos — lying face downward; prostrate
  • Bulgarian: проснат (prosnat) — lying face downward; prostrate
  • Bulgarian: легнал по очи (legnal po oči) — lying face downward; prostrate
  • Catalan: pron — lying face downward; prostrate
  • Catalan: bocaterrós — lying face downward; prostrate
  • Czech: na břiše — lying face downward; prostrate
  • Czech: nicí — lying face downward; prostrate
  • Esperanto: surventra — lying face downward; prostrate
  • Finnish: vatsallaan — lying face downward; prostrate
  • Finnish: mahallaan — lying face downward; prostrate
  • Finnish: kasvoillaan — lying face downward; prostrate
  • Finnish: rähmällään — lying face downward; prostrate
  • French: couché sur le ventre — lying face downward; prostrate
  • Galician: de bruzos — lying face downward; prostrate
  • German: in Bauchlage — lying face downward; prostrate
  • Greek: πρηνής (prinís) — lying face downward; prostrate
  • Ancient Greek: πρανής (pranḗs) — lying face downward; prostrate
  • Italian: prono — lying face downward; prostrate
  • Italian: prostrato — lying face downward; prostrate
  • Italian: inchinato — lying face downward; prostrate
  • Italian: reclino — lying face downward; prostrate
  • Italian: a pancia in giù — lying face downward; prostrate
  • Latin: prōnus — lying face downward; prostrate
  • Māori: tāpapa — lying face downward; prostrate
  • Norwegian: legge seg flat — lying face downward; prostrate
  • Occitan: amorrat — lying face downward; prostrate
  • Occitan: abocat — lying face downward; prostrate
  • Old English: neowol — lying face downward; prostrate
  • Portuguese: de bruços — lying face downward; prostrate
  • Russian: лежа́щий ничко́м (ležáščij ničkóm) — lying face downward; prostrate
  • Russian: лицо́м вниз (licóm vniz) — lying face downward; prostrate
  • Slovak: doluznačky — lying face downward; prostrate
  • Spanish: postrado — lying face downward; prostrate
  • Spanish: de bruces — lying face downward; prostrate
  • Spanish: decúbito prono — lying face downward; prostrate
  • Spanish: prono — lying face downward; prostrate
  • Swedish: på mage — lying face downward; prostrate
  • Vietnamese: úp — lying face downward; prostrate
  • Vietnamese: sấp — lying face downward; prostrate
  • Azerbaijani: meyilli — inclined, sloped
  • Azerbaijani: əyilən — inclined, sloped
  • Azerbaijani: meyil edən — inclined, sloped
  • Bulgarian: наклонен (naklonen) — inclined, sloped
  • Catalan: inclinat — inclined, sloped
  • Finnish: vino — inclined, sloped
  • Finnish: kallistunut — inclined, sloped
  • Finnish: kallistettu — inclined, sloped
  • Finnish: kallellaan — inclined, sloped
  • Finnish: viettävä — inclined, sloped
  • French: enclin — inclined, sloped
  • German: schräg — inclined, sloped
  • Indonesian: rentan — inclined, sloped
  • Indonesian: berisiko — inclined, sloped
  • Italian: pendente — inclined, sloped
  • Italian: inclinato — inclined, sloped
  • Italian: reclino — inclined, sloped
  • Italian: obliquo — inclined, sloped
  • Norwegian: prone — inclined, sloped
  • Portuguese: inclinado — inclined, sloped
  • Portuguese: prono — inclined, sloped
  • Russian: накло́нный (naklónnyj) — inclined, sloped
  • Bulgarian: легнал (legnal) — shooting from lying down position
  • Finnish: makuulta — shooting from lying down position
  • Russian: лёжа (ljóža) — shooting from lying down position
  • Azerbaijani: meyilli — predisposed
  • Azerbaijani: mayil — predisposed
  • Bulgarian: склонен (sklonen) — predisposed
  • Catalan: predisposat — predisposed
  • Catalan: propens — predisposed
  • Catalan: procliu — predisposed
  • Czech: náchylný — predisposed
  • Czech: mající sklony — predisposed
  • Finnish: altis — predisposed
  • Finnish: altistettu — predisposed
  • Finnish: altistunut — predisposed
  • Finnish: taipuvainen — predisposed
  • French: prédisposé — predisposed
  • French: enclin — predisposed
  • Galician: atreito — predisposed
  • Galician: suxeito — predisposed
  • Galician: apicoañado — predisposed
  • Galician: dado — predisposed
  • German: anfällig — predisposed
  • German: geneigt — predisposed
  • Ancient Greek: καταφερής (katapherḗs) — predisposed
  • Hebrew: הָרֶה (haré) — predisposed
  • Italian: incline — predisposed
  • Italian: predisposto — predisposed
  • Italian: portato — predisposed
  • Italian: disposto — predisposed
  • Italian: orientato — predisposed
  • Latin: prōpensus — predisposed
  • Occitan: enclin — predisposed
  • Occitan: portat a — predisposed
  • Occitan: predispausat — predisposed
  • Polish: skłonny — predisposed
  • Portuguese: propenso — predisposed
  • Russian: скло́нный (sklónnyj) — predisposed
  • Russian: предрасполо́женный (predraspolóžennyj) — predisposed
  • Spanish: propenso — predisposed
  • Spanish: propendiente — predisposed
  • Spanish: proclive — predisposed
  • Spanish: prono — predisposed
  • Swedish: benägen — predisposed
  • Ottoman Turkish: عاطف (ʼatıf) — predisposed
Real reading context

prone in complete knowledge articles