alarm

[ uh-lahrm ]

/ əˈlɑrm /

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.

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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 SYNONYMS FOR alarm ON THESAURUS.COM

synonym study for alarm

1. See fear. 8. See frighten.

OTHER WORDS FROM alarm

a·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

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Example sentences from the Web for alarm

In late July, USPS sent out warnings to various states, including California, saying it might not be able to turn around election ballots in time for them to be counted, sounding alarm bells.
Info About Local Post Office Operations Is Conflicting and Hard to Come By|Ashly McGlone and Kate Nucci|August 27, 2020|Voice of San Diego
By November, as we previously reported, West Coast General was warning the Public Works Department that a number of issues, including the fire alarm system, still needed attention before employees could be moved in.
Morning Report: The Deal Before the 101 Ash St. Deal|Voice of San Diego|August 24, 2020|Voice of San Diego
Some public institutions, like the North County Transit District, had a good sense that a disaster was coming and tried to sound an early alarm.
We’re Suing for COVID-19 Data|Scott Lewis and Jesse Marx|August 14, 2020|Voice of San Diego
The campaign, which led to the lawsuit was led by Phyllis Omido, a mother of two, a former public relations officer at Kenya Metal Refineries EPZ, whose lead-poisoning caused the community to raise alarms.
How a grassroots campaign won $12 million taking on a lead-poisoning battery plant in Kenya|Soila Kenya|July 30, 2020|Quartz

That same year, City Councilman Chris Ward sounded the alarm.
The Police Reform Push Comes for MTS|Lisa Halverstadt and Jesse Marx|June 25, 2020|Voice of San Diego
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 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 forms of alarm

alarming, 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

Idioms and Phrases with alarm

alarm

see false alarm.

MEANINGS

WORD GAMES

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WORD OF THE DAY

alarm

noun

verb (used with object)

QUIZZES

WHO SAID IT: A QUIZ ON PRESIDENTIAL WIT AND WISDOM

Origin of alarm

SYNONYMS FOR alarm

synonym study for alarm

OTHER WORDS FROM alarm

Example sentences from the Web for alarm

British Dictionary definitions for alarm

verb (tr)

noun

Derived forms of alarm

Word Origin for alarm

Idioms and Phrases with alarm

MEANINGS

WORD GAMES

LEARN

WRITING

WORD OF THE DAY

alarm

noun

verb (used with object)

QUIZZES

WHO SAID IT: A QUIZ ON PRESIDENTIAL WIT AND WISDOM

Origin of alarm

SYNONYMS FOR alarm

synonym study for alarm

OTHER WORDS FROM alarm

Words related to alarm

Example sentences from the Web for alarm

British Dictionary definitions for alarm

verb (tr)

noun

Derived forms of alarm

Word Origin for alarm

Idioms and Phrases with alarm