prompt
Americanadjective
-
done, performed, delivered, etc., at once or without delay.
I emailed them asking about my package and they gave a prompt reply.
-
ready in action; quick to act as occasion demands.
They were trained to be prompt and competent for any emergency.
-
quick or alert.
You're too prompt to take offense.
-
She's never prompt in arriving for work, yet she's always the first to leave at the end of the day.
verb (used with object)
-
to move or induce to action.
What prompted you to say that?
-
to occasion or incite; inspire.
What prompted his resignation?
-
to assist (a person speaking) by suggesting something to be said.
It's obvious that this witness has been prompted into giving false testimony.
-
Theater. to supply (an actor, singer, etc.) from offstage with a missed cue or forgotten line.
I focused on prompting our Cyrano, who had become strangely disoriented.
-
Computers. (of a computer system) to send a message or symbol to (a user) requesting information or instructions, usually by displaying the message or symbol on a screen.
Once the home page has loaded, the computer will prompt you to log in to your account.
-
Computers, Digital Technology. to request particular output from (a machine learning algorithm) by means of instructions, questions, examples, context, or other input.
verb (used without object)
noun
-
the act of prompting.
-
something serving to suggest or remind.
They send an email once a month, which is just the prompt I need to pay my bill on time.
-
Commerce.
-
a limit of time given for payment for merchandise purchased, the limit being stated on a note of reminder prompt note.
-
the contract setting the time limit.
-
-
Computers. a message or symbol from a computer system to a user, generally appearing on a display screen, requesting more information or indicating that the system is ready for user instructions.
When the prompt appears, provide your access code.
-
Computers, Digital Technology. a sequence of inputs, often containing instructions, questions, examples, or context, used to request particular output from a machine learning algorithm.
idioms
adjective
-
performed or executed without delay
-
quick or ready to act or respond
adverb
verb
-
(tr) to urge (someone to do something)
-
to remind (an actor, singer, etc) of lines forgotten during a performance
-
(tr) to refresh the memory of
-
(tr) to give rise to by suggestion
his affairs will prompt discussion
noun
-
commerce
-
the time limit allowed for payment of the debt incurred by purchasing goods or services on credit
-
the contract specifying this time limit
-
Also called: prompt note. a memorandum sent to a purchaser to remind him of the time limit and the sum due
-
-
the act of prompting
-
anything that serves to remind
-
an aid to the operator of a computer in the form of a question or statement that appears on the screen showing that the equipment is ready to proceed and indicating the options available
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
promptsimple
-
promptssimple
-
have promptedperfect
-
has promptedperfect
-
am promptingprogressive
-
are promptingprogressive
-
is promptingprogressive
-
have been promptingperfect progressive
-
has been promptingperfect progressive
Past
-
promptedsimple
-
had promptedperfect
-
was promptingprogressive
-
were promptingprogressive
-
had been promptingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of prompt
First recorded in 1400–50; Middle English prompte “ready, eager” (adjective), prompten (verb), both ultimately from Latin promptus “manifest, at hand, ready, quick, prepared,” adjective use of past participle of prōmere “to bring forth, deliver, set forth,” from prō- pro- 1 + (e)mere “to buy, obtain, take”
Explanation
If you're prompt, you're on time. Go ahead and be prompt to class. Also, to prompt is to inspire or make happen. Getting in trouble for being late should prompt you to get a better alarm clock. The adjective prompt can mean "as scheduled," or simply "quick." When you prompt someone, you motivate them in some way: you might offer a reminder, assistance, or even inspiration to do something. For example, honking your car horn prompts your friend to get moving, and speaking up in defense of your classmate might prompt a bully to change his ways. If a director prompts an actor who's forgotten his lines, she reminds him what comes next.
Vocabulary lists containing prompt
Jim Burke's Academic Vocabulary List
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
Essential English Vocabulary, List 1
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
"To Kill a Mockingbird" by Harper Lee, Chapters 20–25
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
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.
See Examples For:
Each Friday, Letterboxd posts a prompt on its X account asking users to reply with their last four films logged on the platform.
From Salon ● Jul. 15, 2026
If mortgage rates go down significantly, that could prompt more buying and accelerate price growth.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 14, 2026
It is the first conviction in Wales of "swatting" - a phenomenon that gets its name because such hoax calls in the US prompt Swat police units to be called in.
From BBC ● Jul. 14, 2026
This could prompt a rerating of the stock.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 10, 2026
I prompt Rani and she continues, "Spirits of my ancestors—tell me, will these men get away with this destruction?"
From "Born Behind Bars" by Padma Venkatraman
This includes tracks generated "entirely" from AI prompts, as well as lead vocals and "key" instrumental tracks that are AI-generated, according to the statement.
From Barron's ● Jul. 10, 2026
Today, nearly 2,200 Ropes & Gray employees generate over 282,000 prompts monthly, and each user is three times more active than a year ago, the company said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 8, 2026
The company said users can also choose from presets and suggested prompts to "spark ideas", as well as sketch edits directly onto images.
From BBC ● Jul. 8, 2026
Never input prompts with information that can be tied back to you, even if it’s anonymized later.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 1, 2026
She hands out a long list of prompts we can use to get us started.
From "Keeping Pace" by Laurie Morrison
The prompter is his devoted executive officer, Maj.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 31, 2024
Those accounts accused Harris of making use of the prompter to answer questions from the audience, asked in English and Spanish, causing Univision producers to set the record straight late Thursday night.
From Salon ● Oct. 11, 2024
I'd like to see how she performs more off the cuff and without an ability to read from the prompter.
From BBC ● Sep. 8, 2024
Then, reading off a prompter in the back of the room, Biden turned his attention to the first soccer player honored as a Medal of Freedom recipient.
From Washington Post ● Jul. 7, 2022
I could see, under the hood, the long dramatic hand of the prompter waving to the droning monotony of his voice through the stupidest performance I remembered.
From San Crist?bal de la Habana by Hergesheimer, Joseph
The day Yastrzemski steps out, museum curators will mark him for promptest delivery.
From Time Magazine Archive
Needed: "Additional and improved bombers, airborne alert, more missiles of existing types, speeded production of Polaris submarines, the promptest possible dispersal and hardening of bases, and a program for civil defense."
From Time Magazine Archive
The Federal Reserve Board's first credit-easing step, in May 1953, "was the promptest response to an economic decline ever taken by a central bank in any country."
From Time Magazine Archive
“My clerk,” said Pidcock; and this is the promptest thing I can remember of the Major, always excepting his conduct when the firing began on the hill.
From Red Men and White by Remington, Frederic
He was conscientiously convinced that, all things considered, it was the promptest and most feasible process of re-establishing civil government in the insurrectionary States.
From Twenty Years of Congress, Volume 2 From Lincoln to Garfield, with a Review of the Events Which Led to the Political Revolution of 1860 by Blaine, James Gillespie
This prompted Anthropic to take these products off the market.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 22, 2026
The wreckage of a Pan American Airways plane has been found 74 years after it plunged into the Atlantic Ocean in a crash that prompted mandatory airline safety briefings.
From BBC ● Jul. 22, 2026
A series of high-profile crashes and deaths involving e-bikes has prompted police and prosecutors to make arrests, seize bikes and file charges against riders and their parents.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 21, 2026
But this is the first time that such threats have prompted several governments to simultaneously organise coordinated voluntary repatriations for thousands of their nationals.
From Barron's ● Jul. 21, 2026
This prompted another screaming chase ’round the nursery.
From "The Long-Lost Home" by Maryrose Wood
“These could serve as red flags, prompting an offer of a small credit limit on a new account or a lower one on an existing account.”
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 22, 2026
The lower house approved the bill at first reading in January but the Senate later amended it to target only the most harmful platforms, prompting concern in Brussels.
From Barron's ● Jul. 21, 2026
Then, he turned back to his two monitors, and kept prompting.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 19, 2026
Haze caused by Canadian wildfires has blanketed the New York region, prompting officials to urge residents to reduce outdoor exertion and stay indoors if possible.
From BBC ● Jul. 16, 2026
Without prompting, Jerry told the story of how he had come to be arrested.
From "Zeitoun" by Dave Eggers
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.
