Amber Alert

American  

[am-ber uh-lert] / ˈæm bər əˌlɛrt /

Or AMBER Alert

noun

1. 1. a public alert system that uses broadcast media, text messages, and electronic billboards to spread information about missing persons, especially children.

   2. a public message or announcement that uses this system.

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Amber alert British  

noun

1. a notification to the general public, such as by commercial radio or electronic traffic-condition signs, regarding an abduction of a child

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Etymology

Origin of Amber Alert

Backronym from America's Missing: Broadcast Emergency Response; named after Amber Hagerman, a girl kidnapped and murdered in Texas in 1996

Example Sentences

Shetland was hit by the amber alert at midnight while it has been in force in parts of the north east, Highland, Perth and Kinross and Angus since midday on Friday.

From BBC

The Met Office has warned that travel delays on the roads are likely during the amber alert, and that snow could result in vehicle strandings.

From BBC

An amber alert has been issued for the south west of the country from midnight, while a lesser yellow warning covers much of the western mainland.

From BBC

Storm Bram, named by the Irish weather service Met Éireann, prompted an amber alert for much of north west Scotland.

From BBC

The ShakeAlert blared on both the MyShake app and the Wireless Emergency Alert system — similar to an Amber Alert — on phones across the region, including in the San Francisco Bay Area, the Sacramento area, and in eastern California, just after 8 a.m.

From Los Angeles Times