alarum
Americannoun
noun
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archaic an alarm, esp a call to arms
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(used as a stage direction, esp in Elizabethan drama) a loud disturbance or conflict (esp in the phrase alarums and excursions )
Etymology
Origin of alarum
C15: variant of alarm
Vocabulary lists containing alarum
"The Tragedy of Macbeth," Vocabulary from Act 1
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Selection Vocabulary 4, Unit 1
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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.
Thus was the alarum sounded for more spit, less polish.
From Time Magazine Archive
When four days passed without sign of the boat Mrs. Minevitch set up an alarum.
From Time Magazine Archive
Disturbed by the man’s alarum, we looked up from our labor and found a detachment of Redcoats running in formation for the gates.
From "The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation, Volume II: The Kingdom on the Waves" by M.T. Anderson
The former brings the fancy of an audience into playful action—the latter sounds an alarum that vibrates through the tingling ears to the soul and drives back the rushing blood upon the aching heart.
From Sages and Heroes of the American Revolution by L. Carroll Judson
My eyes went on before him, looking for the telephone he must be going to use; or an electric bell that should sound some great alarum, summoning a legion of police.
From My Little Sister by Elizabeth Robins
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