Synonyms

alarum

American

[uh-lar-uhm, uh-lahr-] / əˈlær əm, əˈlɑr- /

noun

Archaic.

an archaic variant of alarm.

alarum British

/ -ˈlɛər-, -ˈlɑːr-, əˈlærəm /

noun

archaic an alarm, esp a call to arms
(used as a stage direction, esp in Elizabethan drama) a loud disturbance or conflict (esp in the phrase alarums and excursions )

"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

Etymology

Origin of alarum

C15: variant of _alarm

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Similar alarums are becoming common across the continent.

From The Wall Street Journal

But there are horses on the roads and I’ll warrant alarums.

From Literature

With President Trump putting economic growth above climate alarums, green activists are turning to progressive states to press their regulatory agenda.

From The Wall Street Journal

There will be alarums and excursions in the new politics.

From BBC

He heard no alarums, no voices, not so much as a footfall.

From Literature

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023