PROSTRATES Synonyms: 127 Similar and Opposite Words

prostrates

verb

present tense third-person singular of prostrate

as in weakens

to diminish the physical strength of an athlete prostrated for weeks by a bout of pneumonia

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as in paralyzes

to render powerless, ineffective, or unable to move the huge increase in gas prices really prostrated the nation's economic engine

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in overwhelms

to subject to incapacitating emotional or mental stress a widow prostrated by crushing grief

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as in downs

to strike (someone) so forcefully as to cause a fall the boxer bragged that he could prostrate any opponent with a single blow

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Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for prostrates

Verb

Siegel noted that measles weakens the immune system and increases the risk of pneumonia, which can stem from measles itself or from a secondary bacterial infection.

— Melissa Rudy, FOXNews.com, 28 Aug. 2026
Employment has been a mostly resilient area of the economy even as stubborn inflation continues to squeeze businesses and households, while consumer confidence weakens.

— ABC News, ABC News, 26 Aug. 2026

Definition of weakens

Verb

Fear, like ignorance, shuts our eyes to and paralyzes our trust in God’s omnipotence, omniscience, and unfailing love for His children, whereas the understanding of God’s ever-present goodness removes the fear that generates suffering.

— André Kisonga, Christian Science Monitor, 30 June 2026
These opportunists drown out the core mission, creating a cacophony of competing voices that confuses donors, crowd the inboxes of CEOs and members of Congress with colliding petitions, and paralyzes meaningful action by draining critical funding and attention away from the truly effective groups.

— Jeffrey Sonnenfeld, Time, 28 June 2026

Definition of paralyzes

Verb

And yet, in Yoon’s hands, a character’s suffering never overwhelms their capacity for tenderness.

— Rachel Vorona Cote, The Atlantic, 30 July 2026
One person has died and rescues are underway as catastrophic flooding overwhelms the Hill Country, a little more than a year after the July 4 floods killed more than 130 people in Central Texas.

— Mary Ella Hastings July 16, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 16 July 2026

Definition of overwhelms

Verb

Springtown takes edge in 7-4A race, downs Decatur Springtown got the inside track on the District 7-4A championship after beating Decatur 4-2 in 8 innings on Monday night at Decatur High School.

— Darren Lauber, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 22 Apr. 2026
Greene downs it, throws the kid his jersey, smiles, and all is right with the world.

— Debby Wolfinsohn, Entertainment Weekly, 8 Feb. 2026

Definition of downs

Verb

Talanx German insurer Talanx 's lean cost base and 6 billion euros of resilience reserves can help sustain earnings growth, even as pricing softens in its reinsurance and corporate-specialty units, according to Goldman.

— Hugh Leask, CNBC, 2 Sep. 2026
Specs There are multiple textures at play in House of Leon’s Milan daybed, where tactile bouclé softens the look of a sleek stainless steel.

— Yelena Moroz Alpert, Architectural Digest, 2 Sep. 2026

Definition of softens

Verb

Overcoming physical barriers The plasma centrifuge overcomes these physical barriers.

— Aman Tripathi, Interesting Engineering, 28 Aug. 2026
Used in the group’s previous drone research, this landing gear disperses energy to reduce impact and overcomes multiple engineering challenges.

— Tim Hornyak, IEEE Spectrum, 18 Aug. 2026

Definition of overcomes

Verb

The Las Vegas spectacle, which opened to the public in August 2025, already blows audiences around with tornado-force wind, shakes them with haptic seats, sends giant winged monkeys flying overhead and drops hundreds of foam apples from the ceiling.

— Bryan Alexander, USA Today, 31 Aug. 2026
Charged drops, the team notes in the paper, form naturally in clouds, thunderstorms, ocean waves, fountains, and waterfalls, as well as in industrial processes like electrostatic spraying and inkjet printing.

— Jacek Krywko, ArsTechnica, 31 Aug. 2026

Definition of drops

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.

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prostrated

prostrates

prostrating

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“Prostrates.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/prostrates. Accessed 5 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of prostrates

verb

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