prompt

American  

[prompt] / prɒmpt /

adjective

prompter, promptest

1. done, performed, delivered, etc., at once or without delay.

   I emailed them asking about my package and they gave a prompt reply.

2. ready in action; quick to act as occasion demands.

   They were trained to be prompt and competent for any emergency.

3. quick or alert.

   You're too prompt to take offense.

4. punctual.

   She's never prompt in arriving for work, yet she's always the first to leave at the end of the day.

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verb (used with object)

1. to move or induce to action.

   What prompted you to say that?

   Synonyms:

   impel, instigate, spur, urge

2. to occasion or incite; inspire.

   What prompted his resignation?

3. to assist (a person speaking) by suggesting something to be said.

   It's obvious that this witness has been prompted into giving false testimony.

4. 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.

5. 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.

6. 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)

1. Theater. to supply forgotten lines, lyrics, or the like to an actor, singer, etc..

   I've got a one-line walk-on in the first scene, but for the rest of the play, I'll be prompting.

noun

1. the act of prompting.

2. 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.

3. Commerce.

   1. a limit of time given for payment for merchandise purchased, the limit being stated on a note of reminder prompt note.

   2. the contract setting the time limit.

4. 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.

5. 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

1. take a prompt, (in acting) to move or speak in response to a cue.

prompt British  

/ prɒmpt /

adjective

1. performed or executed without delay

2. quick or ready to act or respond

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adverb

1. informal punctually

verb

1. (tr) to urge (someone to do something)

2. to remind (an actor, singer, etc) of lines forgotten during a performance

3. (tr) to refresh the memory of

4. (tr) to give rise to by suggestion

   his affairs will prompt discussion

noun

1. commerce

   1. the time limit allowed for payment of the debt incurred by purchasing goods or services on credit

   2. the contract specifying this time limit

   3. Also called: prompt note.  a memorandum sent to a purchaser to remind him of the time limit and the sum due

2. the act of prompting

3. anything that serves to remind

4. 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

• overprompt
  adjective
• promptly
  adverb
• promptness
  noun
• quasi-prompt
  adjective
• unprompt
  adjective

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.

Example Sentences

Instead, I vacillated between forgetting all about cancer some days and feeling like death was imminent others, and it was hard to predict what would prompt either extreme.

From Slate • May 6, 2026

These experiences may also prompt the adaptive immune system, which helps the body recognize and respond to outside threats.

From Science Daily • May 4, 2026

Farren is proposing Cal Reinsure, a state-backed reinsurance authority that would spread wildfire risk away from individual insurers, which he believes would prompt them to write more policies.

From Los Angeles Times • May 1, 2026

At the conference, more data will prompt conversation on visceral fat, lean body mass and maybe even the aesthetic benefits of the drug, he said.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 28, 2026

They’d write back defending their position, which would prompt an even longer letter from Dad, and if they replied again, so would he, until we stopped hearing from the dictionary people.

From "The Glass Castle" by Jeannette Walls

Related Words

• arouse
• cause
• convince
• draw
• elicit
• help
• indicate
• induce
• inspire
• motivate
• persuade
• propel
• provoke
• spur
• stimulate
• suggest
• urge