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.

RELATED WORDS

aroused, afraid, anxious, fearful

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 alarmed

Chernon Bah, co-founder of A World at School, was alarmed by what she witnessed recently in Sierra Leone.
The Radio Battle to Educate Ebola’s Kids|Abby Haglage|December 11, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Biologist Mattson is alarmed by the abrupt 2008 rise in grizzly mortality from conflicts both with livestock and hunters.
What It Takes to Kill a Grizzly Bear|Doug Peacock|November 23, 2014|DAILY BEAST
A woman who had been walking in front of him began sprinting, too, in an alarmed manner.
Is John Mulaney the Next Seinfeld?|Kevin Fallon|October 5, 2014|DAILY BEAST
So alarmed is she at the shortage of implants, that she said it would affect the overall culture of beauty in Venezuela.
Venezuela Now Has Toilet Paper but No Breast Implants|Jason Batansky|September 16, 2014|DAILY BEAST

The critters have the propensity to devour their babies if alarmed and so require a calm environment for breeding.
Whole Foods Wants to Feed You Cute, Furry Bunnies|Tim Mak|August 19, 2014|DAILY BEAST
He was astonished, for the door was locked, yet he felt relieved rather than alarmed.
The Romance of Leonardo da Vinci|Dmitry Sergeyevich Merezhkovsky
Alarmed, as Margaret well might be, she did not lose her presence of mind.
The Wars of the Roses|John G. Edgar
It is easy, says the king, alarmed, for the shadow to go down ten steps.
The Book of Isaiah, Volume I (of 2)|George Adam Smith
Do not be alarmed; we shall be there, and on our word as hunters, not a hair of your head shall fall.
The Trail-Hunter|Gustave Aimard
But the Senate, alarmed at the tenor of his discourses, forbade him to preach.
Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine, Volume 62, No. 383, September 1847|Various

British Dictionary definitions for alarmed

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 alarmed

alarmed

adj.

"disturbed by prospects of peril," 1640s, past participle adjective from alarm (v.).

alarm

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

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).

Idioms and Phrases with alarmed

alarm

see false alarm.

alarm

noun

verb (used with object)

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RELATED WORDS

Nearby words

Origin of alarm

Synonym study

Examples from the Web for alarmed

alarm

verb (tr)

noun

Word Origin for alarm

alarmed

alarm

alarm

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