ENGLISH
REFERENCE

prone

adj.
B2 Upper Intermediate US //ˈpɹoʊn// UK //pɹˈəʊn// prone

adj. likely to suffer from something or do something often, especially something bad. It can also mean lying flat on your stomach facing down.

adj. having a natural tendency or susceptibility toward a specific condition or action; also describing a physical position lying face downward.


SIMPLE

He is prone to headaches when he works too late.

CONTEXTUAL

The region is prone to flooding during the spring when the mountain snow begins to melt.

COMPLEX

While some patients remained in a supine position, others were placed in a prone orientation to improve their respiratory function during the treatment.

Synonyms
Origin

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

Usage

When describing a tendency, it is almost always followed by the preposition 'to' and a noun or a verb ending in '-ing'.

Pitfall

She is prone of accidents.She is prone to accidents.The adjective 'prone' requires the preposition 'to' rather than 'of' when describing a susceptibility.

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