promptly

adverb

prompt·​ly ˈpräm(p)t-lē 

ˈpräm-plē

1

: in a prompt manner : without delay : very quickly or immediately

I'm going to speak French again, something I learned in school and promptly forgot.

—Deanna Pai

Treatment is promptly resumed until the virus is suppressed again, and then stopped to see if the patient's immune system is able to keep the viral levels in check.

—Joan Stephenson

2

: exactly at a particular time or the correct time

She arrived promptly at 7:00 p.m. as we had agreed.

Synonyms of promptly

• immediately
• instantly
• now

Examples of promptly in a Sentence

shipped the package promptly so that it would arrive on time

Recent Examples on the Web

If the change involves a bank, credit card, phone provider or government account, contact that organization promptly. — Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 5 Sep. 2026

If started promptly after exposure, PEP is considered 100% effective at preventing a fatal rabies infection. — Jen Christensen, CNN Money, 4 Sep. 2026

Playing the helpful citizen, Martinez drove his literal truckload of ALPR bits directly to the Sheriff’s department, where he was promptly taken into custody. — Joe Wilkins, Futurism, 3 Sep. 2026

Few character intros in movie history are better than Indiana Jones snagging that golden idol before being promptly chased by a giant boulder and a tribe of blowdart-wielding warriors. — Frank Deruggiero, Entertainment Weekly, 3 Sep. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1