prompt

1 of 4

verb

prompted; prompting; prompts

transitive verb

1
: to move to action : incite
2
: to assist (one acting or reciting) by suggesting or saying the next words of something forgotten or imperfectly learned : cue
3
: to serve as the inciting cause of
evidence prompting an investigation
prompter noun

prompt

2 of 4

adjective (1)

: of or relating to prompting actors

prompt

3 of 4

adjective (2)

1
: being ready and quick to act as occasion demands
2
: performed readily or immediately
prompt assistance
promptness
ˈpräm(p)t-nəs How to pronounce prompt (audio)
ˈprämp-nəs
noun

prompt

4 of 4

noun

plural prompts ˈpräm(p)ts How to pronounce prompt (audio)
ˈprämps
1
[prompt entry 1] : something that prompts : reminder
2
[prompt entry 3] : a limit of time given for payment of an account for goods purchased
also : the contract by which this time is fixed
Choose the Right Synonym for prompt

quick, prompt, ready, apt mean able to respond without delay or hesitation or indicative of such ability.

quick stresses instancy of response and is likely to connote native rather than acquired power.

quick reflexes
a keen quick mind

prompt is more likely to connote training and discipline that fits one for instant response.

prompt emergency medical care

ready suggests facility or fluency in response.

backed by a pair of ready assistants

apt stresses the possession of qualities (such as intelligence, a particular talent, or a strong bent) that makes quick effective response possible.

an apt student
her answer was apt and to the point

Examples of prompt in a Sentence

Verb Curiosity prompted her to ask a few questions. Pride prompted his angry response. The evidence prompted a criminal investigation. “Did you hear me?” he prompted when his friend did not respond to his first question. The actor had to be prompted by someone who was standing offstage. The computer prompted me to type in a number. Adjective (2) prompt treatment of snakebites is always advisable our waiter was prompt and courteous despite the fact that the restaurant was understaffed Noun The actor was given a prompt by someone offstage.
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Verb
After the Palestinian militant group Hamas launched its attack on Israel in October last year, Hezbollah began exchanging fire with Israel, prompting an Israeli retaliation that had the group’s top brass assassinated and significantly debilitated its capabilities. Mostafa Salem, CNN, 7 Dec. 2024 Williamson said prior to Thursday’s quake in Northern California, the last comparable 7.0 magnitude quake occurred in June 2005 just off the coast northwest of Eureka, prompting a tsunami warning. Elizabeth Weise, USA TODAY, 7 Dec. 2024
Adjective
MLOps and prompt engineers are needed to support GenAI, machine learning and data science operations. John Ottman, Forbes, 21 Nov. 2024 The average pay for AI tutors starts at about $30,000 per year, and full-time AI prompt engineers can make up to $129,500, according to job board platform ZipRecruiter. Megan Sauer, CNBC, 31 Oct. 2024
Noun
One Hugging Face user has archived over 80 videos, providing download links to the videos and their prompt. Yaakov Katz, Newsweek, 27 Nov. 2024 The LLMs trained by these huge GPU farms are usually also very expensive for inference, the process of entering a prompt and generating a response from large language models that is embedded in every app using AI. Kai-Fu Lee, WIRED, 26 Nov. 2024 See all Example Sentences for prompt 

Word History

Etymology

Verb

Middle English, from Medieval Latin promptare, from Latin promptus prompt

Adjective (2)

Middle English, from Latin promptus ready, prompt, from past participle of promere to bring forth, from pro- forth + emere to take — more at redeem

First Known Use

Verb

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Adjective (1)

1768, in the meaning defined above

Adjective (2)

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun

circa 1531, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of prompt was in the 15th century

Dictionary Entries Near prompt

Cite this Entry

“Prompt.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/prompt. Accessed 10 Dec. 2024.

Kids Definition

prompt

1 of 3 verb
1
: to lead to do something
curiosity prompted her to ask the question
2
: to remind of something forgotten or poorly learned
prompt an actor
3
: to be the cause of : inspire
pride prompted the act

prompt

2 of 3 adjective
1
a
: being ready and quick to act
prompt to answer
b
: being on time : punctual
prompt in arriving
2
: done at once : given without delay
prompt assistance
promptly adverb
promptness noun

prompt

3 of 3 noun
: something that prompts : reminder

More from Merriam-Webster on prompt

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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