red alert
Americannoun
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(in military or civilian defense) the most urgent form of alert, signaling that an enemy attack is believed to be imminent.
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the signal or alarm sounded for this alert.
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a signal or warning that a critical situation is developing or has occurred.
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the period during which a state of crisis or danger is declared to exist.
Etymology
Origin of red alert
First recorded in 1960–65
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.
Hospitals in five Colombian cities were put on red alert Monday and a nighttime curfew was declared in Cali, according to local authorities.
From Barron's ● Aug. 11, 2026
The Gironde region remains under a red alert, with some leisure sites in exposed forest areas to be closed on Thursday afternoon and evening.
From BBC ● Jul. 23, 2026
The app, having activated the red alert, suggests a healthier alternative.
From BBC ● Jul. 13, 2026
UN rights chief Volker Turk issues a "red alert" Friday on the unfolding "catastrophe" in the Sudanese city of El-Obeid, where the United Nations fears an imminent paramilitary assault.
From Barron's ● Jul. 3, 2026
For the kill shot, I posted it and Crew Chrissie with a blinking red alert on the Brandywine Hollows HS community page, which the teachers and administrators checked all the time.
From "Burning Blue" by Paul Griffin
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.
