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prompt

noun · adjective · verb

Simple meaning

Quick and on time; also, to cause someone to act.

Pronunciation

Say it like this:

prahmpt
US device voice
IPA pronunciation (US)

ˈpɹɑmpt

This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.

IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.

Word Review

Definition

Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.

noun

  1. A cue given to a performer (usually the beginning of the next line to be spoken)

    “The audience could hear his prompting.”

  2. A reminder or cue.

adjective

  1. Quick; acting without delay.

  2. On time; punctual.

verb

  1. transitive

    To initiate; to cause or lead to.

  2. transitive

    To lead (someone) toward what they should say or do.

  3. transitive

    To say (something) in order to help or encourage someone to speak.

Word at a Glance

Difficulty
B1 · Intermediate
Frequency
Common
Typical Use
Everyday English

Word Aura™

How this word commonly comes across.

Aura for this meaning

This meaning: A cue given to a performer (usually the beginning of the next line to be spoken)

Used this way, prompt is a common word that usually carries little praise or criticism of its own. It usually sounds natural in a wide range of settings.

Heard in a sentence
“The audience could hear his prompting.”
Emotional tone
Neutral
Formality
Neutral
Intensity
Not strongly marked
How common
Common
Connotation
Matter-of-fact
Usage feel
Neutral and straightforward

Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.

More ways to use prompt

  • “She prompted me to call my relatives.”verb

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Common Patterns and Combinations

How this word naturally appears with others.

Time

prompt payment

Sequence / symbol

command prompt

Other combinations

prompt actiondos promptprompt attentionprompt treatmentprompt responseprompt reply

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Word Family

Related forms, grouped by how they connect.

Inflected forms

Grammatical variations of the same word.

  • promptingnounInflected form

    Persuasion formulated as a suggestion.

Word family

Words built from the same root.

  • promptlyadverbDerived adverb

    With little or no delay.

Compound terms

Established multiword terms.

  • prompt copynounCompound term

    The copy of the playscript used by the prompter.

  • prompt boxnounCompound term

    A booth projecting above the floor in the front of a stage where the prompter sits.

  • theater prompternounCompound term

    Someone who assists a performer by providing the next words of a forgotten speech.

  • command promptnounCompound term

    A symbol that appears on the computer screen to indicate that the computer is ready to receive a command.

Say it better

Looking for a more precise alternative? “prompt” can mean several things.

Quick question about Thursday's workshop.Hi Marta, hope the launch went well. I'm writing about Thursday's workshop.I'm writing to confirm the details for Thursday's workshop.

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Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.