klaxon

or clax·on

[ klak-suhn ]

noun
  1. a loud electric horn, formerly used on automobiles, trucks, etc., and now often used as a warning signal.

Origin of klaxon

1
An Americanism dating back to 1905–10; formerly trademark

Words Nearby klaxon

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use klaxon in a sentence

  • We'd both run from that spot in the Tenderloin as the klaxon sounded behind us, and we'd both been picked up by the cops.

    Little Brother | Cory Doctorow
  • Old Swainson answered on his klaxon, and then the liner began to move slowly over the glittering water.

    The Air Pirate | Cyril Arthur Edward Ranger Gull
  • Also we used the mellow horn, for our book said that horns of the klaxon type are not allowed in Switzerland.

    The Car That Went Abroad | Albert Bigelow Paine
  • It consisted of an electrified fence that would set off a loud klaxon horn if touched.

    The Blue Ghost Mystery | Harold Leland Goodwin
  • The plane's klaxon horn wailed through the night with a noise audible for miles.

    The Blue Ghost Mystery | Harold Leland Goodwin

British Dictionary definitions for klaxon

klaxon

claxon

/ (ˈklæksən) /


noun
  1. a type of loud horn formerly used on motor vehicles

Origin of klaxon

1
C20: former trademark, from the name of the manufacturing company

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012