early-warning system

[ ur-lee wawr-ning ]

noun

1. Military. a network of radar installations designed to detect enemy aircraft or missiles in time for the effective deployment of defense systems.
2. any series of steps established to spot potential problems.

early warning system

noun

1. a network of radar and communications units intended to detect at the earliest possible moment an attack by enemy aircraft or missiles
2. anything that gives advance notice of something

Word History and Origins

Origin of early-warning system¹

First recorded in 1945–50

Example Sentences

Fighting climate change — investing in clean energy, climate-smart agriculture, early-warning systems and resilient infrastructure — takes money and resources that developing countries often lack.

From Washington Post

It promises to make major investments in critical areas where we do not do nearly enough, from surveillance and early-warning systems to real-time tracking of viral evolution.

From Time

The new ScanWatch from Withings is an early-warning system that can signal when a trip to the doctor for a full-blown sleep study might be in order.

From Popular-Science

Early voting is the early-warning system as the hurricane is coming,” he says, “and this year it looks like a category 5.

From The Daily Beast