To be prone to something, usually something bad, means to have a tendency to be affected by it or to do it.
For all her experience, she was still prone to nerves. [+ to]
People with fair skin who sunburn easily are very prone to skin cancer. [+ to]
Synonyms: liable, given, subject, inclined More Synonyms of prone
-prone combines with nouns to make adjectives that describe people who are frequently affected by something bad.
...the most injury-prone rider on the circuit.
2. See also accident prone
3. adjective [ADJECTIVE after verb, ADJECTIVE noun]
If you are lying prone, you are lying on your front.
[formal]
Bob slid from his chair and lay prone on the floor.
Since 1991, parents have been advised not to put their infants down to sleep in theprone position.
Synonyms: face down, flat, lying down, horizontal More Synonyms of prone
prone in British English
(prəʊn)
adjective
1.
lying flat or face downwards; prostrate
2.
sloping or tending downwards
3.
having an inclination to do something
Derived forms
pronely (ˈpronely)
adverb
proneness (ˈproneness)
noun
Word origin
C14: from Latin prōnus bent forward, from pro-1
-prone in British English
combining form in adjective
liable or disposed to suffer
accident-prone
prone in American English
(proʊn)
adjective
1.
lying or leaning face downward
2.
lying flat or prostrate; in a horizontal position
3.
having a natural bent; disposed or inclined (to)
prone to error
4.
groveling; abject
5. OLD-FASHIONED, Poetic
leaning forward or sloping downward
SIMILAR WORDS: ˈlikely
SYNONYMY NOTE: prone, in strict use, implies a position in which the front part of the body lies uponor faces the ground [he fell prone upon the ground and drank from the brook]; supine implies a position in which one lies on one's back [he snores when he sleeps in a supine position]; prostrate implies the position of one thrown or lying flat in a prone or supine position, asin great humility or complete submission, or because laid low [the victim lay prostrate at the murderer's feet]; recumbent suggest a lying down or back in any position one might assume for rest or sleep [she was recumbent on the chaise longue]
OPPOSITE: erect
Derived forms
pronely (ˈpronely)
adverb
proneness (ˈproneness)
noun
Word origin
ME < L pronus < pro, before: see pro-1
Examples of 'prone' in a sentence
prone
Recent studies have shown that people prone to nostalgia are better at coping with stress.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
This will make you less prone to injury.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
Manufacturers attempt to defend their products by claiming that drivers with access to a big dashboard screen are less prone to fiddling with their smartphones.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
These would be much less prone to the unpredictable winds than conventional passenger jets and could provide an air bridge from Namibia.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
Another study questioned hundreds of people about how prone to feeling bored they were, and how much meaning they found in life.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
Blood pressure usually drops at night, but in many patients this does not happen and these people are particularly prone to further heart problems.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
Apologies that this cannot ease your current woes, but it will help to make next year's return more straightforward and less prone to postponement.
Times, Sunday Times (2017)
They are also less prone to infections and more likely to recover from disease.
The Sun (2015)
Some people seem more prone to this than others.
The Sun (2015)
Young adults with the condition are especially prone to skin cancer.
The Sun (2012)
It makes passengers more drowsy and therefore less prone to wanting another drink.
The Sun (2014)
Some cars and some people are more prone to this problem than others.
Times, Sunday Times (2010)
This advice stems from the fact that a skin graft is prone to sun damage.
The Sun (2011)
All this means you will also be less prone to storing calories as fat.
The Sun (2015)
Those with sensitive skin that is prone to irritation or women who are pregnant should avoid using it.
Times, Sunday Times (2007)
The survey also lends some foundation to the cliché that women are more prone to lie awake at night than men.
Times, Sunday Times (2014)
Alone, the fine old beech yields to the blast and lies prone on the meadow.
Christianity Today (2000)
England took advantage of such lapses with alacrity but might care to ponder what hopes they hold against teams less prone to error.
Times, Sunday Times (2006)
This is a big advantage in a typical summer, as it will be less prone to blight.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
A lack of dividing walls meant the ground floors were prone to collapse.
Times, Sunday Times (2014)
People are prone to speak poorly about it, but those of us who were born here understand the nuances.
Times, Sunday Times (2007)
He was clipped by a following horse and lay prone on the track for 45 minutes before being taken to hospital.
Times, Sunday Times (2009)
Return to the prone position.
The Sun (2016)
They can be caused by exposure to extreme weather conditions and excessive alcohol intake, but some people are simply prone to them.
Times, Sunday Times (2007)
And choc lovers are 12 per cent less prone to dodgy hearts generally and nine per cent less likely to need hospital treatment for them.
The Sun (2015)
You will find me, in general, in a prone position.
Times, Sunday Times (2015)
If your skin is prone to angry, reactive redness, it will pacify things.
Times, Sunday Times (2014)
I could make out the shapes of our Afghan allies, all lying prone and firing their weapons at some unseen target.
Times, Sunday Times (2015)
In other languages
prone
British English: prone ADJECTIVE
To be prone to something, usually something bad, means to have a tendency to be affected by it or to do it.
For all her experience, she was still prone to nerves.
American English: prone
Brazilian Portuguese: estar sujeito a
Chinese: 易于 > 的受某事物影响或做某事
European Spanish: propenso
French: enclin
German: anfällig für
Italian: soggetto
Japanese: ～にかかりやすい
Korean: ~의 경향이 있는
European Portuguese: estar sujeito a
Latin American Spanish: propenso
Chinese translation of 'prone'
prone
(prəun)
adj
to be prone to sth易于(於)某事的 (yìyú mǒushì de)
(= face down)
to lie prone俯卧(臥) (fǔwò)
she is prone to burst into tears if ... 如果 ... 她动(動)辄(輒)就哭 (rúguǒ ... tā dòngzhé jiù kū)