fire alarm
Americannoun
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fire alarms
plural
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a signal that warns that a fire has started.
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a bell, buzzer, siren, horn, etc., that provides such a signal.
noun
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a device to give warning of fire, esp a bell, siren, or hooter
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a shout to warn that a fire has broken out
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of fire alarm
An Americanism dating back to 1840–50
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.
While stressing that officials needed to make a comprehensive assessment, he said he saw "no emergency exit signage, emergency lighting systems or fire alarm devices".
From Barron's ● Jul. 14, 2026
The intervention, echoed by White House officials, was the equivalent of a fire alarm across Europe.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 8, 2026
His alarm clock, a big and bulky machine that’s Bluetooth-connected to the house’s fire alarm, rattles his room until he finally shuts it off.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 11, 2026
Sound-designed by David Gertsman, “undertone” is so quiet that a tea kettle sounds like a fire alarm.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 11, 2026
All he could hear was that idiotic fire alarm.
From "Time Bomb" by Joelle Charbonneau
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.
