ichidan verb, transitive verb
lay face down; place upside down; turn over (face down)
Transitive: placing an object with its front or top side down.
トランプのカードを伏せて置く。
Place the playing cards face down.
本を伏せて机の上に置いた。
I placed the book face down on the desk.
ichidan verb, transitive verb
cast down (eyes); lower (head); point downwards
Transitive: directing one's gaze or head downward, often to avoid eye contact or show deference.
彼は恥ずかしそうに目を伏せた。
He cast his eyes down shyly.
先生の前で生徒たちは頭を伏せた。
The students lowered their heads in front of the teacher.
ichidan verb, transitive verb, intransitive verb
lie face down; throw oneself to the ground; prostrate oneself
Intransitive or reflexive: lying down with the front of the body down; can be voluntary or forced.
地震のときは机の下に伏せてください。
During an earthquake, please lie face down under the desk.
彼は地面に伏せて動かなかった。
He lay flat on the ground and didn't move.
ichidan verb, transitive verb
conceal; hide; keep secret; place in hiding
Transitive: hiding something or someone, often deliberately; can refer to troops, information, or objects.
彼は真実を伏せたまま話した。
He spoke while keeping the truth hidden.
兵士たちは森の中に伏せて待っていた。
The soldiers lay hidden in the forest, waiting.
ichidan verb, transitive verb
Transitive, often literary or dramatic: to cause someone to fall or die, sometimes in battle.
彼は一撃で敵を伏せた。
He brought down the enemy with a single blow.
ichidan verb, intransitive verb
lie down (ill); go to bed (sick); be confined to bed
Only when written 臥せる
Intransitive: lying down due to illness or to sleep; often written 臥せる in this sense.
See also: 臥せる
風邪で三日間伏せていた。
I was laid up with a cold for three days.
彼は病に伏せて床についている。
He is bedridden with illness.