promptly
Americanadverb
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at once or without delay.
Be sure to complete the form accurately and return it promptly.
-
exactly on time; punctually.
The doors will shut promptly at 2 p.m., and no latecomers will be seated.
Other Word 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.
A spokeswoman for the company said that it had promptly investigated the complaints earlier this year, identified the root cause and immediately resolved it.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 8, 2026
Earlier this year, Oracle laid off 30,000 employees who were notified of their terminations at 6 a.m. and then promptly locked out of their devices.
From MarketWatch ● Nov. 6, 2026
Justice Department lawyers promptly filed notice of appeal back to the 9th Circuit — where the case is likely, though not guaranteed, to land before the same three-judge panel that previously rejected the administration’s demands.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 29, 2026
The owner finally sold the business to a number of its managers in June, who promptly parted ways with Shein.
From Barron's ● Oct. 27, 2026
I expected them to gape in wonder at the story of Howie Rubin, the Salomon mortgage bond trader, who had moved to Merrill Lynch and promptly lost $250 million.
From "The Big Short" by Michael Lewis
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
