promptly
Americanadverb
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at once or without delay.
Be sure to complete the form accurately and return it promptly.
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exactly on time; punctually.
The doors will shut promptly at 2 p.m., and no latecomers will be seated.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Etymology
Origin of promptly
Explanation
To do something promptly is to do it right away or in a timely fashion, avoiding any delays. When you receive an invitation, you might immediately check your calendar and promptly reply. Doing things promptly is the opposite of procrastinating or putting things off. Showing up promptly for meetings, dates, and other plans is courteous and polite. When the President responds promptly to a crisis, it's considered good leadership. If you delay too much, you lost the chance to do something promptly — this is a word for things that happen fast.
Vocabulary lists containing promptly
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone
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"Of Mice and Men"
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Frindle
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
“There’s some gnarly stuff on that record,” says Gibbard, who’d moved to L.A. to be with Deschanel then promptly left as soon as their marriage collapsed.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 5, 2026
"I forgot to change the ball and promptly hit it into the gorse, never to be seen again," David said of his first hole-in-one on the fourth hole at the Open Championship venue in Hoylake.
From BBC • Jun. 5, 2026
The pieces were on loan from a Bucharest museum, whose head was promptly sacked for lending the works out in the first place.
From Barron's • Jun. 5, 2026
“We remain committed to negotiating with the union in good faith and hope to promptly reach a fair agreement,” Dauch Corp. said in a statement.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 2, 2026
After a few seconds Fig promptly squirmed out of my grip and leapt onto the floor.
From "Sir Fig Newton and the Science of Persistence" by Sonja Thomas
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
