PROMPT

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

IPA (US):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does prompt mean? 

• PROMPT (noun)
  The noun PROMPT has 2 senses:

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

2. (computer science) a symbol that appears on the computer screen to indicate that the computer is ready to receive a command

  Familiarity information: PROMPT used as a noun is rare.

• PROMPT (adjective)
  The adjective PROMPT has 3 senses:

1. according to schedule or without delay; on time

2. ready and willing or quick to act

3. performed with little or no delay

  Familiarity information: PROMPT used as an adjective is uncommon.

• PROMPT (verb)
  The verb PROMPT has 3 senses:

1. give an incentive for action

2. serve as the inciting cause of

3. assist (somebody acting or reciting) by suggesting the next words of something forgotten or imperfectly learned

  Familiarity information: PROMPT used as a verb is uncommon.

 Dictionary entry details 

• PROMPT (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

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

Classified under:

Nouns denoting communicative processes and contents

Synonyms:

prompt; prompting

Context example:

the audience could hear his prompting

Hypernyms ("prompt" is a kind of...):

cue (an actor's line that immediately precedes and serves as a reminder for some action or speech)

Derivation:

prompt (assist (somebody acting or reciting) by suggesting the next words of something forgotten or imperfectly learned)

Sense 2

Meaning:

(computer science) a symbol that appears on the computer screen to indicate that the computer is ready to receive a command

Classified under:

Nouns denoting communicative processes and contents

Synonyms:

command prompt; prompt

Hypernyms ("prompt" is a kind of...):

electronic communication (communication by computer)

Domain category:

computer science; computing (the branch of engineering science that studies (with the aid of computers) computable processes and structures)

• PROMPT (adjective)

Comparative: prompter   
Superlative: promptest   

Sense 1

Meaning:

According to schedule or without delay; on time

Context example:

the train is prompt

Similar:

on time; punctual (acting or arriving or performed exactly at the time appointed)

Derivation:

promptness (the quality or habit of adhering to an appointed time)

Sense 2

Meaning:

Ready and willing or quick to act

Context example:

she is always prompt to help her friends

Similar:

ready (completely prepared or in condition for immediate action or use or progress)

Derivation:

promptness (the characteristic of doing things without delay)

Sense 3

Meaning:

Performed with little or no delay

Synonyms:

immediate; prompt; quick; straightaway

Context example:

a straightaway denial

Similar:

fast (acting or moving or capable of acting or moving quickly)

Derivation:

promptness (the characteristic of doing things without delay)

• PROMPT (verb)

Present simple: I / you / we / they prompt    ... he / she / it prompts   
Past simple: prompted   
Past participle: prompted   
-ing form: prompting   

Sense 1

Meaning:

Give an incentive for action

Classified under:

Verbs of sewing, baking, painting, performing

Synonyms:

actuate; incite; motivate; move; prompt; propel

Context example:

This moved me to sacrifice my career

Hypernyms (to "prompt" is one way to...):

cause; do; make (give rise to; cause to happen or occur, not always intentionally)

Verb group:

affect; impress; move; strike (have an emotional or cognitive impact upon)

move (arouse sympathy or compassion in)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s something
Somebody ----s somebody
Something ----s somebody
Something ----s something
Somebody ----s somebody to INFINITIVE

Sentence example:

They prompt him to write the letter

Sense 2

Meaning:

Serve as the inciting cause of

Classified under:

Verbs of telling, asking, ordering, singing

Synonyms:

inspire; instigate; prompt

Context example:

She prompted me to call my relatives

Hypernyms (to "prompt" is one way to...):

cause; get; have; induce; make; stimulate (cause to do; cause to act in a specified manner)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s somebody to INFINITIVE

Sentence example:

They prompt him to write the letter

Derivation:

prompting (persuasion formulated as a suggestion)

Sense 3

Meaning:

Assist (somebody acting or reciting) by suggesting the next words of something forgotten or imperfectly learned

Classified under:

Verbs of telling, asking, ordering, singing

Synonyms:

cue; prompt; remind

Hypernyms (to "prompt" is one way to...):

inform (impart knowledge of some fact, state of affairs, or event to)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s somebody
Something ----s somebody

Derivation:

prompt (a cue given to a performer (usually the beginning of the next line to be spoken))

prompter (a device that displays words for people to read)

prompter (someone who assists a performer by providing the next words of a forgotten speech)

prompting (a cue given to a performer (usually the beginning of the next line to be spoken))

 Context examples 

But I must be prompt over this matter.

(The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

"The question I asked in my letter," he prompted.

(Martin Eden, by Jack London)

The Monkeys were as prompt as ever, and in a few moments the entire band stood before her.

(The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, by L. Frank Baum)

Nor was I prompted to lie through fear.

(The Sea-Wolf, by Jack London)

You were our audience and prompter.

(Mansfield Park, by Jane Austen)

“Certainly not,” says Peggotty, with the promptest decision.

(David Copperfield, by Charles Dickens)

There are no approved drugs for the disease, but prompt diagnosis and aggressive supportive care can improve survival.

(Genetics of the 2014 Ebola Outbreak, NIH)

This research presents experimental evidence for a strategy where the targeting of cancer cells and the stimulation of immunity combine to prompt immediate and long-term responses against aggressive cancer.

(Molecule in Immune System Able to Trigger 'Suicide' of Cancerous Tumors, The Titi Tudorancea Bulletin)

Calicheamicin binds non-covalently to the minor groove of DNA and prompts conformational changes and DNA oxidation, thereby inhibiting DNA synthesis and inducing apoptosis.

(Immunotoxin CMD-193, NCI Thesaurus)

It uses electrical pulses to prompt the heart to beat at a normal rate.

(Pacemakers and Implantable Defibrillators, NIH)