prone

/prəʊn/ (bre, ipa) · [prˈon] /prəʊn/ (ame, ipa) · [prˈon] /ˈprōn/ (ame, mw) · [prˈon] /proʊn/ (ame, ipa)

prone — 形容詞

  • pronepositive
  • pronercomparative
  • pronestsuperlative

1. having a built-in tendency to experience or do a particular thing, usually somet

1.形容詞B2
釋義

易於；傾向

天生容易發生某種負面狀況

having a built-in tendency to experience or do a particular thing, usually something unwelcome such as an illness, mistake, accident, or damage.

例句

Niran is prone to migraines whenever the weather changes suddenly.

每當天氣突然變化，Niran 就很容易偏頭痛發作。

be prone to + noun (illness)

Wooden houses near the coast are prone to damage from salty sea air.

靠近海邊的木造房屋很容易受到含鹽海風的損害。

inanimate subject + prone to + noun (damage)

同義詞
  • susceptible

    interchangeable for illnesses or harmful effects; slightly more formal and medical

  • liable

    stresses the legal or logical likelihood of a bad result; often heard with penalties or fines

  • inclined

    covers behaviour and tendencies generally, not only negative outcomes; broader than 'prone'

反義詞
  • resistant

    actively able to withstand the thing 'prone' people would suffer from

  • immune

    completely unaffected, especially in medical or figurative contexts

文法句型

be prone to + noun

be prone to + verb-ing

be prone to + infinitive

用法筆記

Almost always followed by 'to' plus a noun or -ing form; the thing the subject is prone to is typically negative (illness, mistakes, damage, accidents). Often passive in feel because the subject suffers the outcome rather than causes it.

常見錯誤

❌Christopher is prone for back pain after lifting boxes.
✅Christopher is prone to back pain after lifting boxes.
💡the fixed preposition is 'to', not 'for'.
❌Élise is prone to be late for meetings.
✅Élise is prone to being late for meetings.' or 'Élise tends to be late for meetings.
💡after 'prone to', use a noun or -ing form, not a bare to-infinitive in everyday writing.

2. stretched out horizontally so that the chest, stomach, and face point downwards,

2.形容詞C1
釋義

俯臥的

臉部朝下、身體前側貼地的姿勢

stretched out horizontally so that the chest, stomach, and face point downwards, typically in medical, military, or exercise settings.

例句

The nurse asked Emre to lie prone to check the wound on his back.

護理師請 Emre 採俯臥姿勢，以便檢查他背上的傷口。

medical context: lie prone for examination

Soldiers stayed prone in the long grass to avoid being seen by the patrol.

士兵們俯臥在高高的草叢裡，以免被巡邏隊發現。

stay/remain prone for concealment

同義詞
  • facedown

    everyday equivalent; far more common in casual speech and writing

  • prostrate

    stronger image of complete collapse on the ground; often emotional or ceremonial

反義詞
  • supine

    the technical opposite: lying flat on the back, face up

  • upright

    general opposite for any horizontal posture

文法句型

lie prone

be in a prone position

用法筆記

Distinguish from sense 1 by the absence of 'to' — this sense describes physical body posture and is almost always the predicate after 'be', 'lie', 'remain', or inside the fixed phrase 'in a prone position'. Contrasts with 'supine' (face up).

常見錯誤

❌Joaquín fell prone on his back after slipping.
✅Joaquín fell supine on his back after slipping.' or 'Joaquín fell flat on his back after slipping.
💡'prone' means face-down only; 'supine' is the opposite.

prone — 動詞