promptly

adverb

prompt·​ly ˈpräm(p)t-lē How to pronounce promptly (audio)
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.

Examples of promptly in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web In a fan-favorite scene, Needa apologizes to Vader for losing track of a group of rebel soldiers and is promptly Force-choked to death. Oliver Gettell, EW.com, 13 Mar. 2024 The Seattle Kraken promptly ushered the defending champion Avs into summer vacation. Troy Renck, The Denver Post, 13 Mar. 2024 My son Joseph promptly built grandpa a Lego replica of the White House. Martha Ross, The Mercury News, 13 Mar. 2024 In a perfect world, your rescue meds will kick in promptly. Carolyn L. Todd, SELF, 11 Mar. 2024 Set a reminder on your calendar to complete these past-due assignments promptly. Essence, 4 Mar. 2024 Japan's moon lander survives lunar night The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, meanwhile, reported Monday that flight controllers had managed to reestablish contact with their SLIM lunar lander, which touched down on the moon Jan. 19 and promptly tipped over on its nose. William Harwood, CBS News, 26 Feb. 2024 Readers say Hyatt also fixes consumer problems promptly, which keeps hotel guests returning again and again. Christopher Elliott, Forbes, 24 Feb. 2024 That includes habits at home, such as promptly recycling mail or putting your keys in the same place every day. Annie Midori Atherton, Washington Post, 2 Mar. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'promptly.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

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

Dictionary Entries Near promptly

Cite this Entry

“Promptly.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/promptly. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

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