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
Elizabeth Hernandez, The Denver Post, 14 Apr. 2024
The widespread apprehension prompted officials there to urge people to refrain from stocking up on food, generators and medicine, as the country braces for the response.
—CNN, 13 Apr. 2024
Scientific progress prompts ethical concerns But the possibility of an artificial womb is also raising many questions.
—Rob Stein, NPR, 12 Apr. 2024
Neighborhood differences Not all of San Diego County is seeing slow growth, said CoStar data, perhaps prompting some renters to move around.
—Phillip Molnar, San Diego Union-Tribune, 12 Apr. 2024
While the deadline to migrate isn’t until 2025, Google’s been prompting folks to make the switch since earlier this summer.
—Quentyn Kennemer, The Verge, 12 Apr. 2024
Feds rush to open probe of Ford recall prompted by possible engine fires
Consolidating debt with home equity: Pros and cons to consider
Justice Neil Gorsuch is not pleased with judges setting nationwide policy.
—Aimee Picchi, CBS News, 12 Apr. 2024
The exchange prompted district police officers to move toward the two men, and Marshall began to head toward the exit with the officers following him.
—Krista Johnson, The Courier-Journal, 11 Apr. 2024
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
Eliot A. Cohen, The Atlantic, 10 Apr. 2024
Health experts say aggressive formula marketing — such as steep discounts and free samples — can make misleading claims and prompt mothers to prematurely give up breastfeeding.
—Heather Vogell, ProPublica, 10 Apr. 2024
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
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
That 2021 discovery prompted U.S. Interior Secretary Deb Haaland, the first Native cabinet member in American history, to launch a full review of this country’s own legacy of Native American boarding schools, which forcefully assimilated Indigenous children and stripped them of their culture.
—Elizabeth Hernandez, The Denver Post, 14 Apr. 2024
The widespread apprehension prompted officials there to urge people to refrain from stocking up on food, generators and medicine, as the country braces for the response.
—CNN, 13 Apr. 2024
Scientific progress prompts ethical concerns But the possibility of an artificial womb is also raising many questions.
—Rob Stein, NPR, 12 Apr. 2024
Neighborhood differences Not all of San Diego County is seeing slow growth, said CoStar data, perhaps prompting some renters to move around.
—Phillip Molnar, San Diego Union-Tribune, 12 Apr. 2024
While the deadline to migrate isn’t until 2025, Google’s been prompting folks to make the switch since earlier this summer.
—Quentyn Kennemer, The Verge, 12 Apr. 2024
Feds rush to open probe of Ford recall prompted by possible engine fires
Consolidating debt with home equity: Pros and cons to consider
Justice Neil Gorsuch is not pleased with judges setting nationwide policy.
—Aimee Picchi, CBS News, 12 Apr. 2024
The exchange prompted district police officers to move toward the two men, and Marshall began to head toward the exit with the officers following him.
—Krista Johnson, The Courier-Journal, 11 Apr. 2024
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
Adjective
The prompt passage of aid for Ukraine is but one step.
—Eliot A. Cohen, The Atlantic, 10 Apr. 2024
Health experts say aggressive formula marketing — such as steep discounts and free samples — can make misleading claims and prompt mothers to prematurely give up breastfeeding.
—Heather Vogell, ProPublica, 10 Apr. 2024
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
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.
Dictionary Entries Near prompt
Cite this Entry
“Prompt.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/prompt. Accessed 19 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share