prototype
Americannoun
-
the original or model on which something is based or formed.
- Synonyms:
- pattern
-
someone or something that serves to illustrate the typical qualities of a class; model; exemplar.
She is the prototype of a student activist.
-
something analogous to another thing of a later period.
a Renaissance prototype of our modern public housing.
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Biology. an archetype; a primitive form regarded as the basis of a group.
verb (used with object)
noun
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one of the first units manufactured of a product, which is tested so that the design can be changed if necessary before the product is manufactured commercially
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a person or thing that serves as an example of a type
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biology the ancestral or primitive form of a species or other group; an archetype
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of prototype
First recorded in 1595–1605; from New Latin prōtotypon, from Greek prōtótypon, noun use of neuter of prōtótypos “original”; see proto-, type
Explanation
A prototype is the original model, a sample on which to base future designs. A company designing a new toaster will first design and build a prototype and then test it out and see if it's any good. A prototype is your test case and becomes the model on which to base the design of the finished product. Often, however, the prototype can be a phase to work out the bugs. The prototype of our hands-free toothbrush was too dangerous; it needed to return to the lab for serious improvements. Like the word archetype, the word prototype can also mean the standard on which to base a definition of something. "A prototypical cheerleader is the girl to which all other cheerleaders might aspire."
Vocabulary lists containing prototype
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Initially, the prototype could follow simple voice commands to execute tasks across apps, including ordering food and comparing shopping prices.
From Barron's ● Jul. 19, 2026
Instead, the teeth resembled those of Djarthia murgonensis, an extinct marsupial that lived about 35 million years earlier and is often viewed as a prototype for Australian marsupials.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 19, 2026
Last year, most US intelligence agencies and departments surmised that it was "very unlikely" that a foreign actor used "a novel weapon or prototype device to harm" US personnel and their families.
From BBC ● Jul. 11, 2026
Their startup, Nova Cottage Co., co-founded by the Pasadena-based technology incubator Idealab, has built a prototype studio cottage that has the interior amenities of a traditional home without the structural demands.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 7, 2026
“Just come out — prototype —” a square-jawed wizard was telling his companion.
From "Harry Potter And The Prisoner Of Azkaban" by J.K. Rowling
“As Freddy’s continues to grow, we remain focused on supporting our franchisees through new restaurant prototypes, greater real estate flexibility, and development strategies that help position the brand for sustainable growth.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 15, 2026
Liberland isn't an outlier - it's one of several prototypes of such micronations, areas claimed as independent nations but not legally recognised as such.
From BBC ● Jul. 10, 2026
The reactor designs -- whose prototypes operate under a special government waiver -- still need to be cleared by the US nuclear regulator, the NRC.
From Barron's ● Jun. 28, 2026
The astronauts will begin training immediately on Orion systems while also supporting the development and testing of the Blue Origin and SpaceX lander prototypes that will be used during the mission.
From Science Daily ● Jun. 11, 2026
“The prototypes are a bust,” he muttered darkly.
From "Glitch" by Laura Martin
“They prototyped a lot of ideas,” said Yee, a father of three who took over from Akl as chairman of the board of KidSTREAM in 2022.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 22, 2026
Together, they designed user interfaces, prototyped an app and coded a website based on the prototype.
From Seattle Times ● Sep. 11, 2023
For months, Corrigan, Popa and a small team prototyped the material, which was released earlier this year by 3M under the name Cushion Lock.
From New York Times ● Nov. 28, 2022
Frayne says the company has even prototyped holographic video content where you could, say, watch a stereoscopic 3D trailer for the next Avatar movie on the Avatar homepage and get multiple perspectives on the action.
From The Verge ● Jun. 1, 2022
Crowd favorites are formally designed and prototyped, then proposed for sale in the crowdfunding phase.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 27, 2016
A unit of SpaceX is suing Apple for disadvantaging its AI app, and the company is now prototyping its own smartphone-like AI device.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 12, 2026
The design software market faces unique risks, Radke conceded, as generative AI reduces the time and skill required for prototyping and ideation, in turn blurring the boundaries “of who a ‘designer’ is.”
From Barron's ● Jun. 17, 2026
"We've spent the last four years developing, prototyping and testing technologies… We have a team of 30 people, and growing," says Rob Meyerson, co-founder and chief executive.
From BBC ● Jun. 16, 2026
The office is a “creation hub,” she said, where influencers can record Puma’s design prototyping lab supported by libraries of materials and equipment used to create Puma apparel.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 27, 2026
I'm going to need to manufacture an excuse to go stateside to explain this to them and supervise the prototyping.
From Eastern Standard Tribe by Doctorow, Cory
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.