alarm
a sudden fear or distressing suspense caused by an awareness of danger; apprehension; fright.
any sound, outcry, or information intended to warn of approaching danger: Paul Revere raced through the countryside raising the alarm that the British were coming.
an automatic device that serves to call attention, to rouse from sleep, or to warn of fire, smoke, an intruder, etc.
a warning sound; signal for attention.
Animal Behavior. any sound, outcry, chemical discharge, action, or other signal that functions to draw attention to a potential predator.
Fencing. an appeal or a challenge made by a step or stamp on the ground with the advancing foot.
Archaic. a call to arms.
to make fearful or apprehensive; distress.
to warn of danger; rouse to vigilance and swift measures for safety.
to fit or equip with an alarm or alarms, as for fire, smoke, or robbery: to alarm one's house and garage.
Origin of alarm
1synonym study For alarm
Other words for alarm
Other words from alarm
- a·larm·a·ble, adjective
- a·larm·ed·ly [uh-lahr-mid-lee], /əˈlɑr mɪd li/, adverb
- pre·a·larm, verb (used with object), noun
- un·a·larmed, adjective
Words Nearby alarm
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use alarm in a sentence
The Ring Car alarm, which will cost $60, is Amazon’s take on the traditional car alarm, and it comes with features like location tracking so people can remember where they parked.
Amazon debuted a long list of products today. Here are 3 standouts | jonathanvanian2015 | September 24, 2020 | FortuneAfter setup, the drone can be asked to fly directly, or it can fly on its own to visit disturbances detected by Ring alarm systems.
New Amazon hardware: Ring drones, Echo Dot 4th Gen, Wi-Fi 6 Eero, and more | Jim Salter | September 24, 2020 | Ars TechnicaOther Fed officials have also sounded the alarm in recent days.
Pelosi abruptly shifts course, restarts relief push amid signs economy is straining | Erica Werner, Rachael Bade | September 24, 2020 | Washington PostThose early immune defenses, which set off alarm bells for the body to go on the attack no matter what the invader, may be weaker in older adults.
Early immune responses may be why younger people get less sick from COVID-19 | Erin Garcia de Jesus | September 23, 2020 | Science NewsHospital and other local officials on both sides of the border raised the alarm that the border itself was facilitating the spread.
Border Report: New Challenges for Day Laborers | Adriana Heldiz and Maya Srikrishnan | September 21, 2020 | Voice of San Diego
On Christmas Day, sometime after dark, a hideous fire overtook the venue: 100 firefighters, 33 fire trucks, a four-alarm blaze.
The Fiery Death of Sotto Sotto, Toronto’s Celebrity Hotspot | Shinan Govani | December 30, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTThe airline industry objects that sometimes these deployable recorders can pop out without cause, spreading needless alarm.
Red Tape and Black Boxes: Why We Keep ‘Losing’ Airliners in 2014 | Clive Irving | December 29, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTTruth be told, there is no one better at capturing the agony and alarm of a woman in the throes of a nervous breakdown than Moore.
If the idea of a religious vigilante ambushing sex workers in his spare time sets off alarm bells, it probably should.
To Catch a Sex Worker: A&E’s Awful, Exploitative Ambush Show | Samantha Allen | December 19, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTBrown was still sounding the alarm about one particular firm, Booz Allen Hamilton, when he was arrested on September 12, 2012.
Sentencing Looms for Barrett Brown, Advocate for “Anonymous” | Kevin M. Gallagher | December 15, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTSome of the alarm returned, however, when the creature attempted to climb up by his own ladder.
The Giant of the North | R.M. BallantyneThere is cause for alarm when they bring one hundred and ten ships into these seas without any means of resistance on our part.
Her face wore a look of distress, almost of alarm; she kept her place, but her eyes gave Bernard a mute welcome.
Confidence | Henry JamesThe public eye, ever watchful and timid, waits scarcely for the show of danger to take alarm and withdraw its favour.
Some of the soldiers secured the porter from creating an alarm; and the rest filling the hall, fastened the door.
The Pastor's Fire-side Vol. 3 of 4 | Jane Porter
British Dictionary definitions for alarm
/ (əˈlɑːm) /
to fill with apprehension, anxiety, or fear
to warn about danger; alert
to fit or activate a burglar alarm on a house, car, etc
fear or terror aroused by awareness of danger; fright
apprehension or uneasiness: the idea of failing filled him with alarm
a noise, signal, etc, warning of danger
any device that transmits such a warning: a burglar alarm
the device in an alarm clock that triggers off the bell or buzzer
short for alarm clock
archaic a call to arms
fencing a warning or challenge made by stamping the front foot
Origin of alarm
1Derived forms of alarm
- alarming, adjective
- alarmingly, adverb
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
Other Idioms and Phrases with alarm
see false alarm.
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
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