Gulf Oil & GasTabby McFarland
Did you know?
The prefix prot-, or proto-, comes from Greek and has the basic meaning "first in time" or "first formed." A prototype is someone or something that serves as a model or inspiration for those that come later. A successful fund-raising campaign can serve as a prototype for future campaigns. The legendary Robin Hood, the "prototypical" kindhearted and honorable outlaw, has been the inspiration for countless other romantic heroes. And for over a century, Vincent van Gogh has been the prototype of the brilliant, tortured artist who is unappreciated in his own time.
Examples of prototype in a Sentence
Georgina Jedikovska, Interesting Engineering, 30 Apr. 2026
Sweet handcrafted the prototype by widening a toy figure’s shoulders and adding clay to give He-Man his iconic muscular build.
—Cerys Davies, Los Angeles Times, 30 Apr. 2026
Brody Miller, New York Times, 13 Mar. 2026
In collaboration with Stellant Systems, researchers are prototyping advanced magnetrons that can be combined to reach the necessary high-power thresholds with maximum efficiency.
—Aman Tripathi, Interesting Engineering, 19 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for prototype
Cite this Entry
“Prototype.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/prototype. Accessed 1 May. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
prototype
noun
