prompt
Language: English
Part of speech: verb
Pronunciation: ipa: /pɹɒmpt/
ipa: /pɹɑmpt/
rhymes: -ɒmpt
Forms: form: prompts
form: prompting
form: prompted
form: prompted
Etymology: The adjective is from Middle English prompte, from Middle French prompt and its etymon Latin prōmptus (“visible, apparent, evident”), past participle of prōmō (“to take or bring out or forth, produce, bring to light”), from prō (“forth, forward”) + emō (“to take, acquire, buy”). Doublet of pronto.
The verb is from Middle English prompen, apparently from the adjective. The noun is from the verb.
Senses: examples: text: I prompted him to get a new job.
synonyms: word: counsel
word: exhort
word: admonish
word: advise
word: advocate
word: counsel
word: encourage
word: urge
word: exhort
word: prompt
word: recommend
word: suggest
word: tip
word: warn
glosses: To lead (someone) toward what they should say or do.
examples: text: "How did you solve the issue then?" Jason prompted while staring at Lana.
text: "What is your name, you?" he demanded. The captured youth tried to pull free again, but was obviously tiring. After a moment he stopped his struggling altogether. "Your name?" Simon prompted, this time in a softer tone.
"Malachias." The youth turned away panting.
ref: 1988, Tad Williams, chapter 5, in The Dragonbone Chair, DAW Books, →ISBN:
text: ‘Be warned, Molly,’ Gideon added harshly. ‘I won't ever let you do or say anything that will hurt Crys. Is that understood?’ he prompted determinedly.
ref: 2007 December, Margaret Mayo, Helen Brooks, Carole Mortimer, A Presents Christmas Bundle: An Anthology, Harlequin, page 51:
glosses: To say (something) in order to help or encourage someone to speak.
examples: text: If he forgets his words I will prompt him.
topics: broadcasting
entertainment
lifestyle
media
television
theater
glosses: To show or tell (an actor/person) the words they should be saying, or actions they should be doing.
examples: text: At first Renie's chain of thought had been prompted by the unsatisfactory nature of phone contact compared to an actual meeting,[…]
ref: 1996, Tad Williams, chapter 7, in City of Golden Shadow, Legend Books, →ISBN:
text: The only sour note on a virtually perfect night for England came from shameful 'monkey' chanting aimed at Ashley Cole and Ashley Young from a section of Bulgaria's fans which later prompted an official complaint from the Football Association to Uefa.
ref: 2011 September 2, Phil McNulty, “Bulgaria 0-3 England”, in BBC:
text: On October 6, 1927, Warner Bros. released The Jazz Singer, the first sound-synched feature film, prompting a technological shift of unprecedented speed and unstoppable force. Within two years, nearly every studio release was a talkie.
ref: 2012, Christoper Zara, Tortured Artists: From Picasso and Monroe to Warhol and Winehouse, the Twisted Secrets of the World's Most Creative Minds, part 1, chapter 1, 27:
synonyms: word: instigate
word: provoke
word: abet
word: actuate
word: goose
word: send
word: sting
word: bring about
word: cheer
word: drive
word: encourage
word: egg on
word: engender
word: evoke
word: excite
word: foment
word: goad
word: grill
word: ignite
word: impel
word: incite
word: induce
word: inflame
word: instigate
word: invoke
word: lash
word: motive
word: motivate
word: move
word: obligate
word: oblige
word: push
word: promote
word: prompt
word: provoke
word: rouse
word: set off
word: spark off
word: spur
word: spur on
word: stimulate
word: stir
word: stir up
word: stoke
word: tempt
word: urge
word: whet
word: whip up
glosses: To initiate; to cause or lead to.
examples: text: The script prompted him to enter his credit account number.
topics: computing
engineering
mathematics
natural-sciences
physical-sciences
sciences
glosses: To request (a user) to provide input or do something on a computer.
examples: text: I want to prompt this new AI art generator to create an image of a panda riding a bike.
qualifier: machine learning
glosses: To provide textual input in the form of ordinary language to (an artificial intelligence or language model) to have it generate a desired output.
Derived terms: prompter
promptress
prompture