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View synonyms for

prompt

[ prompt ]

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. 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)

  1. to move or induce to action:

    prompted you to say that?

    Synonyms: , , ,

  2. to occasion or incite; inspire:

    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.

prompt

/ ɒ /

adjective

  1. performed or executed without delay
  2. quick or ready to act or respond
“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

adverb

  1. informal.
    punctually
“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

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

“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

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 calledprompt 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
“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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Derived Forms

  • ˈdzٲԱ, noun
  • ˈdzٱ, adverb
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Other Word Forms

  • dz· adverb
  • dz·Ա noun
  • ··dz adjective
  • ܲ·-dz adjective
  • ܲ·dz adjective
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Word History and Origins

Origin of prompt1

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 ō “to bring forth, deliver, set forth,” from ō- pro- 1 + (e)mere “to buy, obtain, take”
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Word History and Origins

Origin of prompt1

C15: from Latin promptus evident, from ō to produce, from pro- 1+ emere to buy
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Idioms and Phrases

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

Examples have not been reviewed.

That may prompt more investors to seek higher returns through active management.

From

This prompted Waugh to suggest Mr Simpson should be "stabbed in the leg".

From

’s getting newly registered cars on the road so fast is the fear that the Trump administration’s trade wars will starkly increase car prices, prompting motorists to buy new cars before the anticipated price hike.

From

Meiers, the Superior Court judge, issued a restraining order against the city on April 4 — prompting officials to file an appeal.

From

The areas of Mandalay and Sagaing were hit especially hard by the earthquake on 28 March, which prompted a rare request from the Myanmar junta for foreign aid.

From

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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.

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