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• Amber Alert
  Amber Alert

  noun
• Amber alert
  Amber alert

  noun

  a notification to the general public, such as by commercial radio or electronic traffic-condition signs, regarding an abduction of a child

Amber Alert

American  

[am-ber uh-lert] / ˈæm bər əˌlɛrt /

Or AMBER Alert

noun

1. 1. a public alert system that uses broadcast media, text messages, and electronic billboards to spread information about missing persons, especially children.

   2. a public message or announcement that uses this system.

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Amber alert British  

noun

1. a notification to the general public, such as by commercial radio or electronic traffic-condition signs, regarding an abduction of a child

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Etymology

Origin of Amber Alert

Backronym from America's Missing: Broadcast Emergency Response; named after Amber Hagerman, a girl kidnapped and murdered in Texas in 1996

Example Sentences

The pair were last seen Sunday around 4 a.m. near Ferndale Street and Alsace Avenue, according to an Amber Alert issued Monday.

From Los Angeles Times • May 26, 2026

An Amber Alert was issued Sunday afternoon after Enzo Antonescu was allegedly kidnapped at a Target store on Colima Road, according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department.

From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 8, 2025

An Amber Alert was issued Aug. 19 asking the public for help tracking the family down.

From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 31, 2024

Wynter, who was the subject of an Amber Alert, was not in the vehicle.

From Seattle Times • Mar. 21, 2024

"Amber Alert child spotted on Seventy-Fourth speaking to homeless man by someone living in the neighborhood. Any units in the vicinity, let's get out there and ask some questions."

From "The Sky at Our Feet" by Nadia Hashimi