Military. a network of radar installations designed to detect enemy aircraft or missiles in time for the effective deployment of defense systems.
any series of steps established to spot potential problems.
a network of radar and communications units intended to detect at the earliest possible moment an attack by enemy aircraft or missiles
anything that gives advance notice of something
First recorded in 1945–50
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Rinz’s research points to an early-warning system that may flag trouble ahead.
From Barron's ● May 22, 2026
That means the early-warning system could realize a quake was a magnitude 7, or higher, a few seconds earlier than before.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 5, 2024
Additionally, the model can also predict other soil conditions in real-time and function as an early-warning system to identify potential hazards.
From Science Daily ● May 30, 2024
What’s more, an over-the-horizon early-warning system the Soviet Union built in Ukraine in 1976 had been shuttered by the end of the Cold War.
From Science Magazine ● Nov. 17, 2023
Ghohg had installed his own magical early-warning system: long, monstrous nerves that snaked through the hills and would jolt when a distant guard stomped on the other end.
From "The Assassination of Brangwain Spurge" by M.T. Anderson and Eugene Yelchin
The 61-year-old, a previous president of the UN General Assembly, has suggested creating an "early warning" system to detect and flag signs of impending conflict.
From Barron's ● Jul. 23, 2026
The USGS’ earthquake early warning system was activated, reaching cellphones in the San Francisco Bay Area.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 24, 2026
The study focuses on a protein called STING, which normally serves as part of the body's early warning system against threats.
From Science Daily ● May 31, 2026
Less than three weeks before it burst, Indian and Swiss disaster experts journeyed to South Lhonak Lake to put up a weather monitoring station, the first step toward installing an early warning system.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 1, 2026
The early warning system worked perfectly in Fukushima prefecture.
From "Meltdown" by Deirdre Langeland
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
