promptly

adverb

prompt·​ly ˈpräm(p)t-lē 

ˈpräm-plē

1

: in a prompt manner : without delay : very quickly or immediately

I'm going to speak French again, something I learned in school and promptly forgot.

—Deanna Pai

Treatment is promptly resumed until the virus is suppressed again, and then stopped to see if the patient's immune system is able to keep the viral levels in check.

—Joan Stephenson

2

: exactly at a particular time or the correct time

She arrived promptly at 7:00 p.m. as we had agreed.

Synonyms of promptly

• immediately
• instantly
• now

Examples of promptly in a Sentence

shipped the package promptly so that it would arrive on time

Recent Examples on the Web

He was promptly taken into custody and was charged with attempting to assassinate the president of the United States, as well as two federal gun crimes, according to a criminal complaint obtained by PEOPLE. —Charna Flam, PEOPLE, 28 Apr. 2026

Their attorney, Ari Pregen, said a judge previously waived fines because the couple promptly fixed those violations as well. —Larry Seward, CBS News, 28 Apr. 2026

Now 70, the Mission Hills resident only began showing his pottery at art fairs about five years ago — and promptly took the gold medal at his first showing, a festival in Florence, Italy. —Teri Figueroa, San Diego Union-Tribune, 27 Apr. 2026

Pull them promptly or remove them with a hoe. —Megan Hughes, Better Homes & Gardens, 27 Apr. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1