alarm

[uh-lahrm]

noun

1. a sudden fear or distressing suspense caused by an awareness of danger; apprehension; fright.

   Synonyms: panic, terror, consternation

2. 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.

3. an automatic device that serves to call attention, to rouse from sleep, or to warn of fire, smoke, an intruder, etc.

4. a warning sound; signal for attention.

5. Animal Behavior.,  any sound, outcry, chemical discharge, action, or other signal that functions to draw attention to a potential predator.

6. Fencing.,  an appeal or a challenge made by a step or stamp on the ground with the advancing foot.

7. Archaic.,  a call to arms.

verb (used with object)

1. to make fearful or apprehensive; distress.

2. to warn of danger; rouse to vigilance and swift measures for safety.

3. to fit or equip with an alarm or alarms, as for fire, smoke, or robbery.

   to alarm one's house and garage.

alarm

/ əˈlɑːm /

verb

1. to fill with apprehension, anxiety, or fear

2. to warn about danger; alert

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

noun

1. fear or terror aroused by awareness of danger; fright

2. apprehension or uneasiness

   the idea of failing filled him with alarm

3. a noise, signal, etc, warning of danger

4. any device that transmits such a warning

   a burglar alarm

5. 1. the device in an alarm clock that triggers off the bell or buzzer

   2. short for alarm clock

6. archaic,  a call to arms

7. fencing a warning or challenge made by stamping the front foot

Other Word Forms

• alarming adjective
• alarmingly adverb
• alarmable adjective
• alarmedly adverb
• prealarm verb (used with object)
• unalarmed adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of alarm¹

1350–1400; Middle English alarme, alarom < Middle French < Old Italian allarme, noun from phrase all'arme to (the) arms. See arm ²

Word History and Origins

Origin of alarm¹

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

Idioms and Phrases

see false alarm.

Synonym Study

See fear. See frighten.

Example Sentences

First thing I do is turn my alarm off.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

The prospect of a Russian base on the Red Sea alarms American security officials, who have been jockeying with Beijing and Moscow for years over their competing military aspirations in Africa.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

You may as well forget the early-morning alarms and concentrate on the snooker.

Read more on BBC

The label said it had "a duty to speak up" and "encourage public discourse", because AI is proliferating at an "alarming rate and substantially outpacing regulation".

Read more on BBC

The company's approach meant thousands were left with devices which were not connected to alarm monitoring centres.

Read more on BBC

Related Words

• anxiety 
• apprehension 
• consternation 
• dismay 
• dread 
• horror 
• nervousness 
• panic 
• scare 
• tension 
• terror 
• trepidation 
• unease 
• uneasiness www.thesaurus.com

When To Use

What does alarm mean?

Alarm is a sudden feeling of fear or suspense caused by an awareness of danger, as in The pirates boarding the ship filled the captain with alarm.An alarm is any sound or cry that is meant to alert someone. It can also be the device that produces the alarm, such as an alarm clock. Sounding the alarm means to activate a siren, bell, or a repeated verbal call, usually projected from a speaker of some kind.To alarm someone is to make them fearful or distressed, as in My parents alarmed me when they started talking about moving south.To alarm also means to warn someone about danger.Example: Not to alarm you, but I feel like I might need to go to the emergency room.