klaxon

or clax·on

[ klak-suhn ]

/ ˈklæk sən /

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noun

a loud electric horn, formerly used on automobiles, trucks, etc., and now often used as a warning signal.

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Origin of klaxon

An Americanism dating back to 1905–10; formerly trademark

Words nearby klaxon

Klappvisier, klatsch, Klaus, Klausenburg, klavern, klaxon, kleagle, Kléber, Klebs, klebsiella, Klebs-Löffler bacillus

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use klaxon in a sentence

We'd both run from that spot in the Tenderloin as the klaxon sounded behind us, and we'd both been picked up by the cops.
Little Brother|Cory Doctorow
Old Swainson answered on his Klaxon, and then the liner began to move slowly over the glittering water.
The Air Pirate|Cyril Arthur Edward Ranger Gull
Also we used the mellow horn, for our book said that horns of the Klaxon type are not allowed in Switzerland.
The Car That Went Abroad|Albert Bigelow Paine
It consisted of an electrified fence that would set off a loud klaxon horn if touched.
The Blue Ghost Mystery|Harold Leland Goodwin

The plane's klaxon horn wailed through the night with a noise audible for miles.
The Blue Ghost Mystery|Harold Leland Goodwin

British Dictionary definitions for klaxon

klaxon

claxon

/ (ˈklæksən) /

noun

a type of loud horn formerly used on motor vehicles

Word Origin for klaxon

C20: former trademark, from the name of the manufacturing company

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012