pronto meaning (informal): definition, etymology and quotations

pronto

adv

UK /ˈpɹɒntəʊ/ · US /ˈpɹɑntoʊ/

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

Informal Quickly, very soon, promptly.

I need to finish this assignment pronto.
“[…] 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.)2024 September 12, Sam Damshenas, “‘A new direction for the franchise’: Drag Race UK stars on “mind-blowing” season 6”, in Gay Times:

adj

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

Informal, Rare Quick, prompt.

For a pronto lunch, take a slice or two to work and team with a tasty salad.2014, Gurpareet Bains, “Turkey Meatloaf”, in The Superfood Diet, Bath, Somerset: Absolute Press, →ISBN, “Lunch” section, page 77:
In pronto reaction time, Zeth chose to drive a black armored truck, […]2019, Allen Knox, “Under the Rabbit Skin”, in Afternoon Solipsism (Insinmind; 1), Bloomington, Ind.: Balboa Press, →ISBN:

1 more example

Wow! With a pronto 'Poof' from Funky, Bronto the Brontosaurus appears.2020, Douglas J. Alford, “Dinos to Dinner”, in Stories – of Self & Sharing, Alford Books, →ISBN, page 8: