alarm

[uh-lahrm]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR alarm ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

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.

verb (used with object)

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

1350–1400; Middle English alarme, alarom < Middle French < Old Italian allarme, noun from phrase all'arme to (the) arms. See arm²

Related formsa·larm·a·ble, adjectivea·larm·ed·ly

[uh-lahr-mid-lee] /əˈlɑr mɪd li/, adverbpre·a·larm, verb (used with object), nounun·a·larmed, adjective

Synonyms for alarm

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR alarm ON THESAURUS.COM

1. consternation; terror, panic.

Synonym study

1. See fear. 8. See frighten.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for alarm

nervousness, dismay, anxiety, consternation, tension, apprehension, horror, unease, trepidation, uneasiness, dread, terror, panic, scare, buzzer, signal, cry, alert, whistle, warning

Examples from the Web for alarm

Contemporary Examples of alarm

Truth 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.
Julianne Moore Is Oscar Gold in ‘Still Alice’
Marlow Stern
December 24, 2014
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
Brown 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
To turn it down, would have set off alarm bells to her family.
Don Lemon and the Rest of Society Don’t Understand How Rape Works
Emily Shire
November 19, 2014
But that the CNN-John King blunder even happened is a cause for alarm.
‘Newsroom’ Premiere: Aaron Sorkin Puts CNN on Blast Over the Boston Bombing
Kevin Fallon
November 10, 2014

Historical Examples of alarm

"I'd rather keep it, if it's the same to you," said Paul, in alarm.
Brave and Bold
Horatio Alger
She had begun to pull away in alarm when he seized her wrist.
The Spenders
Harry Leon Wilson
But Mr. Paine assured her that letters were likely to be irregular, and there was no ground for alarm.
Brave and Bold
Horatio Alger
"You alarm me, dear young friend," continued the good minister.
Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine, No. 327
Various
He turned and ran to the camp, shouting an alarm at the top of his voice.
The White Company
Arthur Conan Doyle

British Dictionary definitions for alarm

alarm

verb (tr)

to fill with apprehension, anxiety, or fear

to warn about danger; alert

to fit or activate a burglar alarm on a house, car, etc

noun

fear or terror aroused by awareness of danger; fright

apprehension or uneasinessthe idea of failing filled him with alarm

a noise, signal, etc, warning of danger

any device that transmits such a warninga 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

Derived Formsalarming, adjectivealarmingly, adverb

Word Origin for alarm

C14: from Old French alarme, from Old Italian all'arme to arms; see arm ²

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

Word Origin and History for alarm

early 14c., from Old French alarme (14c.), from Italian all'arme "to arms!" (literally "to the arms"). An interjection that came to be used as the word for the call or warning (cf. alert). Extended 16c. to "any sound to warn of danger or to arouse." Weakened sense of "apprehension, unease" is from 1833. Variant alarum is due to the rolling -r- in the vocalized form. Sometimes in early years anglicized as all-arm. Alarm clock is attested from 1690s (as A Larum clock).

1580s, from alarm (n.). Related: Alarmed; alarming.

Idioms and Phrases with alarm

alarm

see false alarm.