as in influencing
Related Words
Relevance
1
as in causing
to be the cause of (a situation, action, or state of mind)
a misguided pride prompted the family to refuse all offers of help
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in urging
to try to persuade (someone) through earnest appeals to follow a course of action
prompted the reluctant performer onto the stage with loud cheers and whistles
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of prompting
Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 9 Apr. 2026
Recently, her kids, ages 11 and 15, participated in a school walkout in protest of ICE without any prompting from her.
—Adrienne Farr, Parents, 3 Mar. 2026
Without any prompting from leadership, there was much discussion in the hallways that Netflix made the right call to exert financial discipline and not get caught up in the hunt.
—Cynthia Littleton, Variety, 27 Feb. 2026
In 2016, Arnold went to rehab for alcohol addiction, at the prompting of country singer Charlie Daniels.
—Bethy Squires, Vulture, 8 Feb. 2026
The skill of the future is real-time prompting, including excelling at steering an AI’s output during a live brainstorm.
—David Henkin, Forbes.com, 20 Jan. 2026
On the same day, at Southside Presbyterian Church, in Tucson, Arizona, a similar press conference was held at the prompting of an eccentric goat herder named Jim Corbett, who had been sheltering refugees for the past year and had turned to the church for help.
—Jay Caspian Kang, New Yorker, 20 Jan. 2026
Thanks to the miracle of intellectual property, free-enterprise and the prompting of a brilliant record executive, this unlikely collaboration brought together artists and professionals from very different walks of life—shattering geographic, racial, age and faith boundaries.
—Lee Habeeb, MSNBC Newsweek, 9 Dec. 2025
All of them gave concerning answers with minimal prompting.
—Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 21 Nov. 2025
Howard Blume, Los Angeles Times, 30 Apr. 2026
Several counties in North Texas have been severely damaged by storms — some producing tornadoes — in the past few days, prompting Texas leaders to declare a state of emergency.
—Mateo Rosiles, USA Today, 30 Apr. 2026
Yet Schumer is the guy who threatened specific members of the Supreme Court by name, prompting a rare rebuke from Chief Justice John Roberts.
—Chris Roemer, Baltimore Sun, 30 Apr. 2026
The brazen escape saw 10 inmates flee from a New Orleans jail, prompting a massive manhunt involving hundreds of officers from federal, state and local law enforcement agencies.
—CBS News, 30 Apr. 2026
Less than 20 minutes later, someone called 911 reporting a potential threat to Cypress Bay High School in Weston, prompting a lockdown also at that school, the Sheriff’s Office said in a news release Thursday.
—Angie Dimichele, Sun Sentinel, 30 Apr. 2026
Oil exports have plunged, prompting the IMF to forecast an economic contraction of nearly 7% this year.
—Alaa Shahine Salha, semafor.com, 30 Apr. 2026
At one point, a school bus full of students became stuck while trying to turn around, prompting a rescue response.
—Tammy Ljungblad, Kansas City Star, 30 Apr. 2026
While much of the world’s economy has shown resilience in the face of the worst disruption to energy supplies in modern times, the knock-on effects of the conflict are starting to push up inflation while raising alarm bells about food supplies and prompting downgrades to economic growth.
—Sean Nevin, NBC news, 24 Apr. 2026
Noun
Knowing how to drive is the prompting.
—Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 9 Apr. 2026
Recently, her kids, ages 11 and 15, participated in a school walkout in protest of ICE without any prompting from her.
—Adrienne Farr, Parents, 3 Mar. 2026
Without any prompting from leadership, there was much discussion in the hallways that Netflix made the right call to exert financial discipline and not get caught up in the hunt.
—Cynthia Littleton, Variety, 27 Feb. 2026
In 2016, Arnold went to rehab for alcohol addiction, at the prompting of country singer Charlie Daniels.
—Bethy Squires, Vulture, 8 Feb. 2026
The skill of the future is real-time prompting, including excelling at steering an AI’s output during a live brainstorm.
—David Henkin, Forbes.com, 20 Jan. 2026
On the same day, at Southside Presbyterian Church, in Tucson, Arizona, a similar press conference was held at the prompting of an eccentric goat herder named Jim Corbett, who had been sheltering refugees for the past year and had turned to the church for help.
—Jay Caspian Kang, New Yorker, 20 Jan. 2026
Thanks to the miracle of intellectual property, free-enterprise and the prompting of a brilliant record executive, this unlikely collaboration brought together artists and professionals from very different walks of life—shattering geographic, racial, age and faith boundaries.
—Lee Habeeb, MSNBC Newsweek, 9 Dec. 2025
All of them gave concerning answers with minimal prompting.
—Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 21 Nov. 2025
Verb
Inflation hit hard in recent years, while prompting employee groups, especially in urban areas, to fight for wage boosts to keep pace.
—Howard Blume, Los Angeles Times, 30 Apr. 2026
Several counties in North Texas have been severely damaged by storms — some producing tornadoes — in the past few days, prompting Texas leaders to declare a state of emergency.
—Mateo Rosiles, USA Today, 30 Apr. 2026
Yet Schumer is the guy who threatened specific members of the Supreme Court by name, prompting a rare rebuke from Chief Justice John Roberts.
—Chris Roemer, Baltimore Sun, 30 Apr. 2026
The brazen escape saw 10 inmates flee from a New Orleans jail, prompting a massive manhunt involving hundreds of officers from federal, state and local law enforcement agencies.
—CBS News, 30 Apr. 2026
Less than 20 minutes later, someone called 911 reporting a potential threat to Cypress Bay High School in Weston, prompting a lockdown also at that school, the Sheriff’s Office said in a news release Thursday.
—Angie Dimichele, Sun Sentinel, 30 Apr. 2026
Oil exports have plunged, prompting the IMF to forecast an economic contraction of nearly 7% this year.
—Alaa Shahine Salha, semafor.com, 30 Apr. 2026
At one point, a school bus full of students became stuck while trying to turn around, prompting a rescue response.
—Tammy Ljungblad, Kansas City Star, 30 Apr. 2026
While much of the world’s economy has shown resilience in the face of the worst disruption to energy supplies in modern times, the knock-on effects of the conflict are starting to push up inflation while raising alarm bells about food supplies and prompting downgrades to economic growth.
—Sean Nevin, NBC news, 24 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for prompting
Noun
-
Once dismissed as a side hustle or vanity career, social media influencing has rapidly evolved into one of the most lucrative—and measurable—jobs in the modern economy.—
Jenni Fink,
MSNBC Newsweek,
30 Mar. 2026
-
We are faced with a next generation of AI-enabled influencing that is readily undertaken on a massive scale.—
Lance Eliot,
Forbes.com,
29 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Monday's storm system is also expected to produce heavy rain across the central part of the country, causing isolated flash flooding.—
Kyle Reiman,
ABC News,
27 Apr. 2026
-
McAlister was also charged with a second count of terroristic threat causing fear of imminent serious bodily injury, which is a misdemeanor.—
Steven Johnson,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
27 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Shortly after the ruling, Republicans were urging a review of their congressional maps in Louisiana, Tennessee and elsewhere.—
Nicholas Riccardi,
Chicago Tribune,
30 Apr. 2026
-
On Monday, Bloomberg News reported that around 600 Google workers sent a letter to CEO Sundar Pichai urging him to refuse new AI partnerships with the Pentagon.—
Jared Perlo,
NBC news,
29 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
There’s an ever present sense of the air moving, seen in the grass swaying and the smoke drifting.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
13 Apr. 2026
-
While Kesteloo is used to traveling at sea, the rocking and swaying of the boat might affect you differently.—
Alyssa Grabinski,
PEOPLE,
13 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Altman pitched the conversion as critical to securing the vast amount of funding OpenAI needs to fulfill its mission of creating artificial general intelligence — or AGI — that will benefit humanity.—
Bloomberg,
Mercury News,
27 Apr. 2026
-
In 2015, Musk, Altman, Greg Brockman, and a handful of others cofounded OpenAI as a nonprofit with the mission of creating AI for the benefit of humanity.—
Tom Dotan,
Vanity Fair,
27 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
The state has tried to get upstream from abuse and neglect, raising awareness of resources and encouraging the general community to support families, said Thomas Miller, director of children, aging and community services at the Colorado Department of Human Services.—
Meg Wingerter,
Denver Post,
26 Apr. 2026
-
Parents and pediatricians can advocate for child pedestrian safety by supporting and encouraging community programs with resources offered through organizations such as Safe Routes to School.—
Dr. Phyllis Agran,
Boston Herald,
26 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
In the same way that Christ fasted to resist the tempting of the biblical adversary, many Christians are also called to fast and give up the temptations of their daily lives during Lent.—
Rin Velasco,
The Providence Journal,
20 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
The 77-year-old monarch faced a number of possible pitfalls from a bombastic US president known for creating controversy and generating headlines at the lowest moment for US-UK relations in modern history.—
Max Foster,
CNN Money,
1 May 2026
-
The first revealed that Miami-Dade County Public Schools failed to appropriately vet its contract with BusPatrol because the district’s policy allows revenue-generating contracts under $50,000 to proceed without a competitive bidding process.—
David Goodhue,
Miami Herald,
1 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Prompting.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/prompting. Accessed 2 May. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
