prompted; prompting; prompts
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
: of or relating to prompting actors
1
: being ready and quick to act as occasion demands
2
: performed readily or immediately
prompt assistance
plural prompts
ˈpräm(p)ts 
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
Synonyms
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.
Noun
The actor was given a prompt by someone offstage.
Recent Examples on the Web
Detroit Free Press, 2 Apr. 2024
If found guilty, Daybell could face the death penalty — a punishment that would be up to the jury to decide, prompting attorneys to ask potential jurors their views on the death penalty as well as the case.
—Bill Chappell, NPR, 2 Apr. 2024
Tornado watch in Greater Cincinnati Tuesday: See what to expect and when Threat of severe weather prompts early school dismissals, canceled events.
—Victoria Moorwood, The Enquirer, 2 Apr. 2024
Nurturing Purposeful Growth at Your Professional Peak When money, title, and position are no longer drivers, mid-career workers often experience a sense of stagnation, prompting them to seek new job opportunities and make a career switch.
—Ebony Flake, Essence, 2 Apr. 2024
The 2008 incident prompted a tightening of gun laws.
—Kate Brady, Washington Post, 2 Apr. 2024
Change begins with you, and having the courage to take a stance will prompt others to join you.
—Eugenia Last, The Mercury News, 1 Apr. 2024
That has prompted some traditional automakers, such as General Motors and Ford, to pull back on their EV production plans.
—Chris Isidore, CNN, 2 Apr. 2024
The widespread criticism from the spectacle led to Ye unleashing a stream of antisemitic rhetoric, which prompted Adidas and Gap to sever their business relationships with Yeezy.
—Cheyenne Roundtree, Rolling Stone, 2 Apr. 2024
Donavyn Coffey, TIME, 1 Apr. 2024
Among the other tools rolled out on Thursday are prompt shields, which block attacks on generative AI models, like prompt injections or malicious prompts from external documents that steer models away from training and safety guardrails.
—Rocio Fabbro, Quartz, 29 Mar. 2024
While a more privileged child may enjoy the luxury of prompt medical attention and preventive care, their counterpart in a poor area faces a labyrinth of obstacles hindering their access to essential healthcare services.
—Seth Bogner, Forbes, 27 Mar. 2024
Critical to the race for prompt diagnosis and treatment is a rather unexpected clinician: the primary care provider (PCP).
—Katherine O'Malley, STAT, 27 Mar. 2024
One position in high demand is prompt engineer, who designs prompts and other processes to get optimal performance from generative AI tools, whether text or images.
—Samantha Masunaga, Los Angeles Times, 20 Mar. 2024
This statement is in direct conflict with the scientific consensus of physicists, climatologists and other experts globally, whose research has determined a prompt and substantial reduction in fossil fuel use is non-negotiable for preserving a habitable planet.
—Connor Giffin, The Courier-Journal, 15 Mar. 2024
Consultations are free of charge, and their A+ rating with the BBB is backed by numerous positive reviews as well as a prompt response time for customer complaints.
—Sponsored Content, The Mercury News, 12 Mar. 2024
That, too, was prompt by judicial standards but hardly an example of blazing speed.
—Adam Liptak, New York Times, 29 Feb. 2024
Kat Tenbarge, NBC News, 3 Apr. 2024
Last year, YouTube partnered with UMG and Warner Music Group to launch an experimental AI feature called Dream Track, which turned text prompts into AI songs featuring the cloned vocals of artists like Demi Lovato, Charlie Puth and Charli XCX.
—Ethan Millman, Rolling Stone, 2 Apr. 2024
After, the system then looks at the response by the model and checks if the model hallucinated information not in the document or the prompt.
—Emilia David, The Verge, 28 Mar. 2024
There is too much jotted on our immunological white boards; scientists can no longer clearly see the effect of a new viral prompt.
—Helen Branswell, STAT, 28 Mar. 2024
Merrill and Sabharwal knew that their purely mathematical approach couldn’t capture all aspects of chain-of-thought reasoning in real language models, where the wording in the prompt can be very important.
—Ben Brubaker, Quanta Magazine, 21 Mar. 2024
Its guardrails can even be broken using certain prompts that act like cheat codes, letting players roam otherwise inaccessible areas.
—Patrick House, The New Yorker, 19 Mar. 2024
The app featured a full-screen prompt for users to enter their zip codes and receive the number for their congressperson to call and urge against a TikTok ban.
—Lauren Feiner, The Verge, 15 Mar. 2024
Simply enter a prompt, and Sora generates a realistic video within seconds.
—IEEE Spectrum, 15 Mar. 2024
Verb
The Detroit chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists named Wisely journalist of the year in 2003 for articles that prompted the state Legislature to pass a law reopening search warrants to public scrutiny after being sealed following 9/11.
—Detroit Free Press, 2 Apr. 2024
If found guilty, Daybell could face the death penalty — a punishment that would be up to the jury to decide, prompting attorneys to ask potential jurors their views on the death penalty as well as the case.
—Bill Chappell, NPR, 2 Apr. 2024
Tornado watch in Greater Cincinnati Tuesday: See what to expect and when Threat of severe weather prompts early school dismissals, canceled events.
—Victoria Moorwood, The Enquirer, 2 Apr. 2024
Nurturing Purposeful Growth at Your Professional Peak When money, title, and position are no longer drivers, mid-career workers often experience a sense of stagnation, prompting them to seek new job opportunities and make a career switch.
—Ebony Flake, Essence, 2 Apr. 2024
The 2008 incident prompted a tightening of gun laws.
—Kate Brady, Washington Post, 2 Apr. 2024
Change begins with you, and having the courage to take a stance will prompt others to join you.
—Eugenia Last, The Mercury News, 1 Apr. 2024
That has prompted some traditional automakers, such as General Motors and Ford, to pull back on their EV production plans.
—Chris Isidore, CNN, 2 Apr. 2024
The widespread criticism from the spectacle led to Ye unleashing a stream of antisemitic rhetoric, which prompted Adidas and Gap to sever their business relationships with Yeezy.
—Cheyenne Roundtree, Rolling Stone, 2 Apr. 2024
Adjective
Resistance exercise also stimulates a cascade of growth signals that prompt muscle fibers to reinforce themselves, capillaries to expand the muscle’s blood supply, and DNA to make more proteins.
—Donavyn Coffey, TIME, 1 Apr. 2024
Among the other tools rolled out on Thursday are prompt shields, which block attacks on generative AI models, like prompt injections or malicious prompts from external documents that steer models away from training and safety guardrails.
—Rocio Fabbro, Quartz, 29 Mar. 2024
While a more privileged child may enjoy the luxury of prompt medical attention and preventive care, their counterpart in a poor area faces a labyrinth of obstacles hindering their access to essential healthcare services.
—Seth Bogner, Forbes, 27 Mar. 2024
Critical to the race for prompt diagnosis and treatment is a rather unexpected clinician: the primary care provider (PCP).
—Katherine O'Malley, STAT, 27 Mar. 2024
One position in high demand is prompt engineer, who designs prompts and other processes to get optimal performance from generative AI tools, whether text or images.
—Samantha Masunaga, Los Angeles Times, 20 Mar. 2024
This statement is in direct conflict with the scientific consensus of physicists, climatologists and other experts globally, whose research has determined a prompt and substantial reduction in fossil fuel use is non-negotiable for preserving a habitable planet.
—Connor Giffin, The Courier-Journal, 15 Mar. 2024
Consultations are free of charge, and their A+ rating with the BBB is backed by numerous positive reviews as well as a prompt response time for customer complaints.
—Sponsored Content, The Mercury News, 12 Mar. 2024
That, too, was prompt by judicial standards but hardly an example of blazing speed.
—Adam Liptak, New York Times, 29 Feb. 2024
Noun
Meta, which owns Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp, has already released generative AI products like Imagine, which can produce images from text prompts.
—Kat Tenbarge, NBC News, 3 Apr. 2024
Last year, YouTube partnered with UMG and Warner Music Group to launch an experimental AI feature called Dream Track, which turned text prompts into AI songs featuring the cloned vocals of artists like Demi Lovato, Charlie Puth and Charli XCX.
—Ethan Millman, Rolling Stone, 2 Apr. 2024
After, the system then looks at the response by the model and checks if the model hallucinated information not in the document or the prompt.
—Emilia David, The Verge, 28 Mar. 2024
There is too much jotted on our immunological white boards; scientists can no longer clearly see the effect of a new viral prompt.
—Helen Branswell, STAT, 28 Mar. 2024
Merrill and Sabharwal knew that their purely mathematical approach couldn’t capture all aspects of chain-of-thought reasoning in real language models, where the wording in the prompt can be very important.
—Ben Brubaker, Quanta Magazine, 21 Mar. 2024
Its guardrails can even be broken using certain prompts that act like cheat codes, letting players roam otherwise inaccessible areas.
—Patrick House, The New Yorker, 19 Mar. 2024
The app featured a full-screen prompt for users to enter their zip codes and receive the number for their congressperson to call and urge against a TikTok ban.
—Lauren Feiner, The Verge, 15 Mar. 2024
Simply enter a prompt, and Sora generates a realistic video within seconds.
—IEEE Spectrum, 15 Mar. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'prompt.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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
14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Adjective (1)
1784, 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 14th century
Phrases Containing prompt
Dictionary Entries Near prompt
Cite this Entry
“Prompt.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/prompt. Accessed 16 Apr. 2024.
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More from Merriam-Webster on prompt
Nglish: Translation of prompt for Spanish Speakers
Britannica English: Translation of prompt for Arabic Speakers
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