Prostration is the placement of the body in a reverentially or submissively prone position. Major world religions employ prostration either as a means of displaying reverence for a noble person (as in the Chinese kowtow), persons, or doctrine, or as an act of submissiveness or worship to a supreme being or other worshiped entities (i.e. God or the gods), such as the sajdah of the Islamic prayer, salah. Within various cultures and traditions, prostrations are similarly used to show respect to civil authorities and more accomplished masters. The act is thus often an important part of religious, civil and traditional rituals and ceremonies.

En médecine, la prostration désigne un état de faiblesse et de fatigue extrêmes qui se manifeste par l'effondrement des fonctions musculaires du patient et par son immobilité qui se rencontre à la phase terminale de certaines maladies, ainsi qu'au cours de diverses affections psychiatriques.

Prostration är bruket att lägga sig framstupa eller raklång som ett uttryck för tillbedjan eller underkastelse.