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Glite Dictionary
prompter's box

prompter's box

8.4
A small box at the front of a stage where someone sits to give actors their lines
  • noun
translation icon : caja del apuntador
  • The actor glanced toward the prompter's box to catch his forgotten line.

Examples

  • During the play, the prompter's box was discreetly positioned at the edge of the stage.

  • In older theaters, you can still see the original prompter's box used by the stage staff.

  • The director stood near the prompter's box during the rehearsal.

  • Can you see the prompter's box from your seat?

  • The actor glanced toward the prompter's box to catch his forgotten line.

  • During the play, the prompter's box was discreetly positioned at the edge of the stage.

  • In older theaters, you can still see the original prompter's box used by the stage staff.

Synonyms

prompt box
vsprompter's box
8.6

A small box at the front of a stage where a person sits to help actors with their lines

is used to cue actors during performances, emphasizing its function

Surface Forms

prompter's box singular
prompter's boxes plural

Morphology

prompter's + box

The meaning 'a small booth where the prompter sits' is directly derivable from 'prompter' (the person who prompts actors) + 'box' (an enclosed area), with the possessive 's signalling that the box belongs to or is used by the prompter. This straightforward noun + box composition follows normal English possession/composition patterns and is cross-linguistically common, so learners who know the constituents should understand it.

Etymology

Prompter's box comes from old theaters where the prompter sat in a small raised box at the front of the stage to whisper or show forgotten lines to actors and give them a 'cue'. That's why the name now means the little booth used to help actors during a performance.