alarm

[ uh-lahrm ]

/ əˈlɑrm /

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.

Nearby words

Origin of alarm

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

SYNONYMS FOR alarm

1. consternation; terror, panic.

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR alarm ON THESAURUS.COM

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

Synonym study

1. See fear. 8. See frighten.

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

Examples from the Web for 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|DAILY BEAST
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|DAILY BEAST
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|DAILY BEAST
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|DAILY BEAST

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|DAILY BEAST
Frontenac defines his position and raises a note of alarm in his very first despatch to the minister for the colonies.
Count Frontenac|William Dawson LeSueur
Henri accompanied me thither, and that, while they remained there, nothing happened to excite any alarm.
The Mysteries of Udolpho|Ann Radcliffe
"You must tell them," she said suddenly, with a return of her alarm.
Second String|Anthony Hope
The alarm was given, and the French, led by Joan, came out of the city and ranged themselves in front of their enemies.
Heroines That Every Child Should Know|Various
This he performed on the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th of November, and continued still on the coast in order to alarm and distress the enemy.
Fifty-two Stories of the British Navy, from Damme to Trafalgar.|Alfred H. Miles

British Dictionary definitions for alarm

alarm

/ (əˈlɑːm) /

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

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).

alarm

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

Idioms and Phrases with alarm

alarm

see false alarm.

alarm

noun

verb (used with object)

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Origin of alarm

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Examples from the Web for alarm

alarm

verb (tr)

noun

Word Origin for alarm

alarm

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