pronto

Borrowed from Spanish pronto, from Latin prōmptus. Doublet of prompt.

• (UK) IPA^(key): /ˈpɹɒntəʊ/, [ˈpʰɹɒntʰəʊ̯]

• Audio (Southern England):

  (file)

• (US) IPA^(key): /ˈpɹɑntoʊ/, [ˈpʰɹɑntʰoʊ̯], [ˈpʰɹɑnoʊ̯]
• Rhymes: -ɒntəʊ

pronto (not comparable)

1. (informal) Quickly, very soon, promptly.

   I need to finish this assignment pronto.

   • 2024 September 12, Sam Damshenas, “‘A new direction for the franchise’: Drag Race UK stars on “mind-blowing” season 6”, in Gay Times‎^[1]:

     “ […] I burst through the door with a pregnancy bump and shouted at him, pretending to be his mistress. I’ve never seen a man look so horrified in his life. I then went into a spontaneous lip-sync of ‘I Will Survive’.” (We need footage, pronto.)

pronto (comparative more pronto, superlative most pronto)

1. (informal, rare) Quick, prompt.
   • 2014, Gurpareet Bains, “Turkey Meatloaf”, in The Superfood Diet, Bath, Somerset: Absolute Press, →ISBN, “Lunch” section, page 77:

     For a pronto lunch, take a slice or two to work and team with a tasty salad.

   • 2019, Allen Knox, “Under the Rabbit Skin”, in Afternoon Solipsism (Insinmind; 1), Bloomington, Ind.: Balboa Press, →ISBN:

     In pronto reaction time, Zeth chose to drive a black armored truck, […]

   • 2020, Douglas J. Alford, “Dinos to Dinner”, in Stories – of Self & Sharing, Alford Books, →ISBN, page 8:

     Wow! With a pronto 'Poof' from Funky, Bronto the Brontosaurus appears.

• Porton, proton

From Latin prōmptus.

• IPA^(key): /ˈpɾonto/ [ˈpɾõn̪.t̪o]
• Rhymes: -onto
• Syllabification: pron‧to

pronto

1. early

   Synonym: llueu

2. soon

   Synonym: ceo

3. nearby

   Synonym: cerca

From Latin prōmptus.

• IPA^(key): /ˈpɾonto/ [ˈpɾon̪.t̪ʊ]
• Rhymes: -onto
• Hyphenation: pron‧to

pronto (feminine pronta, masculine plural prontos, feminine plural prontas)

1. prompt, speedy
2. ready, at the ready; willing

   Estades prontos? ― Are you ready?

   • 1861, José Sánchez de Santamarina, transl., Gospel of Matthew, page 115:

     Que si ben o esprito está pronto, a carne sin embargo é fraca

     Because even if the spirit is willing, the flesh is weak

pronto

1. soon

   Synonyms: axiña, decontado

2. early

   Synonym: cedo

   Antonym: tarde

• Antón Luís Santamarina Fernández, editor (2006–2013), “pronto”, in Dicionario de Dicionarios da lingua galega [Dictionary of Dictionaries of the Galician language] (in Galician), Santiago de Compostela: Instituto da Lingua Galega
• Antón Luís Santamarina Fernández, Ernesto Xosé González Seoane, María Álvarez de la Granja, editors (2003–2018), “pronto”, in Tesouro informatizado da lingua galega (in Galician), Santiago de Compostela: Instituto da Lingua Galega
• Rosario Álvarez Blanco, editor (2014–2024), “pronto”, in Tesouro do léxico patrimonial galego e portugués (in Galician), Santiago de Compostela: Instituto da Lingua Galega, →ISSN

From Latin prōmptus.

• IPA^(key): /ˈpron.to/

• Audio:

  (file)

• Rhymes: -onto
• Hyphenation: prón‧to

pronto (feminine pronta, masculine plural pronti, feminine plural pronte, superlative prontissimo)

1. ready, prepared

   È pronto il pranzo? ― Is lunch ready?

2. willing, prompt, set

• prontamente
• pronto soccorso

pronto m (plural pronti)

1. ready-made

pronto

1. (telephony) hello (when answering the phone)

• pronto in Treccani.it – Vocabolario Treccani on line, Istituto dell'Enciclopedia Italiana

Derived from Latin promptus. Cognate with Spanish pronto.

pronto (Hebrew spelling פרונטו)^[1]

1. prepared; ready

   Synonym: preparado

   • 20th century, Horozlu‎^[2]:

     Para los ke estan prontos para kazar Vijtad el Magazen HOROZLU onde topareş vistidos modernos, Bonjures, Frakes, Işmoken, komple i kon presios baratos.

     For those who are ready to marry, visit the HOROZLU shop, where [it has] topareş modern clothes, Bonjures, Frakes, Işmoken and it completes with low prices.

pronto (Hebrew spelling פרונטו)^[1]

1. immediately; now

   Synonyms: apunto, imediatamente, luego, pishin

   • 2006, יעקב כולי, מעם לועז בראשית: לקט : בצירוף מבואות, גלוסאר ומפתחות‎^[3], הוצאת מכון מעלה אדומים, →ISBN:

     El rey respondio diziendo: "Pronto".

     The king replied saying, 'Now.'

• prompto (pre-standardization spelling)

Learned borrowing from Latin prōmptus.

• Rhymes: -õtu
• Hyphenation: pron‧to

pronto (feminine pronta, masculine plural prontos, feminine plural prontas, comparable, comparative mais pronto, superlative o mais pronto or prontíssimo, diminutive prontinho, augmentative prontão)

1. ready, finished

   O jantar está pronto.

   Dinner is ready.

   • 1880, Maria Amalia Vaz de Carvalho, “A perceptora [The preceptress]”, in Contos e phantasias [Short stories and fantasies]‎^[4], 2nd edition, Lisbon: Parceria Antonio Maria Pereira, published 1905, page 214:

     — Aqui me tem, prompto a luctar peito a peito contra o seu infortunio, e a vencêl-o.

     “Here you have me, ready to fight chest-to-chest against your misfortune, and to win against it.”

2. (by extension, of an answer) fast; instant; immediate (that does not delay)
3. (by extension) fit, prepared
4. (military) free, idle

   Synonyms: desocupado, ocioso

5. (Can we verify⁽⁺⁾ this sense?) present
6. (Brazil, slang) penniless

For quotations using this term, see Citations:pronto.

pronto

1. (uncommon) promptly

pronto

1. (telephony) hello (greeting when picking up the phone or answering someone who has hung the doorbell)

   Synonyms: alô, estou

2. there, done

   Pronto, entreguei minha redação!

   There, I handed over my essay!

3. (Northeast Brazil) all right, OK, sure

   A: Podemos ir para a casa dele hoje à tarde.
   B: Pronto!

   A: We can go to his home this afternoon.
   B: All right!

pronto m (plural prontos)

1. (military) trained soldier (soldier who completed their training period)

• “pronto”, in Dicionário Aulete Digital (in Portuguese), Rio de Janeiro: Lexikon Editora Digital, 2008–2025
• “pronto”, in Dicio – Dicionário Online de Português (in Portuguese), São Paulo: 7Graus, 2009–2025
• “pronto”, in Dicionário da Língua Portuguesa (in Portuguese), Lisboa: Academia das Ciências de Lisboa, 2001–2025
• “pronto”, in Dicionário infopédia da Língua Portuguesa (in Portuguese), Porto: Porto Editora, 2003–2025
• “pronto”, in Michaelis Dicionário Brasileiro da Língua Portuguesa (in Portuguese), São Paulo: Editora Melhoramentos, 2015–2025
• “pronto”, in Dicionário Priberam da Língua Portuguesa (in Portuguese), Lisbon: Priberam, 2008–2025

From Latin promptus.

• IPA^(key): /ˈpɾonto/ [ˈpɾõn̪.t̪o]
• Rhymes: -onto
• Syllabification: pron‧to

pronto (feminine pronta, masculine plural prontos, feminine plural prontas)

1. prompt, on time
2. ready
   • 1915, Julio Vicuña Cifuentes, Mitos y Supersticiones Recogidos de la Tradición Oral Chilena, page 268:

     Las liebres duermen con los ojos abiertos, para hacer creer a sus enemigos que están despiertas y prontas para huir.

     Hares sleep with their eyes open, to fool their enemies into thinking they're awake and ready to flee.

pronto (superlative prontísimo)

1. soon, promptly, any time soon

   Synonym: luego

   de pronto ― suddenly

• “pronto”, in Diccionario de la lengua española [Dictionary of the Spanish Language] (in Spanish), online version 23.8, Royal Spanish Academy [Spanish: Real Academia Española], 10 December 2024