siren

[ sahy-ruhn ]

/ ˈsaɪ rən /

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noun

Classical Mythology. one of several sea nymphs, part woman and part bird, who lure mariners to destruction by their seductive singing.

a seductively beautiful or charming woman, especially one who beguiles men: a siren of the silver screen.

an acoustical instrument for producing musical tones, consisting essentially of a disk pierced with holes arranged equidistantly in a circle, rotated over a jet or stream of compressed air, steam, or the like, so that the stream is alternately interrupted and allowed to pass.

an implement of this kind used as a whistle, fog signal, or warning device.

any of several aquatic, eellike salamanders of the family Sirenidae, having permanent external gills, small forelimbs, and no posterior limbs.

adjective

of or like a siren.

seductive or tempting, especially dangerously or harmfully: the siren call of adventure.

verb (used without object)

to go with the siren sounding, as a fire engine.

verb (used with object)

to allure in the manner of a siren.

OTHER WORDS FOR siren

2 seductress, temptress, vamp.

See synonyms for siren on Thesaurus.com

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Origin of siren

1300–50; Middle English sereyn<Old French sereine<Late Latin Sīrēna,Latin Sīrēn<Greek Seirḗn

OTHER WORDS FROM siren

si·ren·like, adjective

Words nearby siren

Sirach, Siracusa, Siraj-ud-daula, sirdar, sire, siren, Sirena, sirenian, sirenic, sirenomelia, Sirens

How to use siren in a sentence

A surveillance video from a private home, broadcast by WRC-TV, shows a moped traveling near Seventh and Kennedy streets NW followed by a police vehicle with its lights and siren on.
Police video shows fatal crash as D.C. officers attempt to stop moped driver|Peter Hermann, Justin Jouvenal, Julie Zauzmer|October 30, 2020|Washington Post
The statement said the officer was traveling westbound on East Capitol Street and approaching Southern Avenue with his emergency lights and sirens activated.
Bicyclist fatally struck in Prince George’s as D.C. officer sought murder suspect|Justin Wm. Moyer|October 29, 2020|Washington Post
Horns honking, planes making their very-final descent, sirens heckling from around the neighborhood — they come with the territory of performing outdoors in any city.
WNO pop-up opera truck delivers music to the public, but it’s not a perfect fit|Michael Andor Brodeur|October 28, 2020|Washington Post
In fact, it would be hard to draw more attention without the help of some sirens and a bullhorn.
The 2020 Polaris Slingshot—still a conversation starter on three wheels|Jonathan M. Gitlin|October 22, 2020|Ars Technica

Harmon cranked up his siren and flashed the cruiser’s red and blue lights.
Maine Hires Lawyers With Criminal Records to Defend Its Poorest Residents|by Samantha Hogan, The Maine Monitor, with data analysis by Agnel Philip|October 6, 2020|ProPublica
The garrulous assistant to a fading screen siren in Clouds of Sils Maria.
Oscars 2015: The Daily Beast’s Picks, From Scarlett Johansson to ‘Boyhood’|Marlow Stern|January 6, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Anyway, Hurley magically built a career from it, and is still smiling and siren-ing.
Happy 20th Birthday, Liz Hurley’s Safety-Pin Dress|Tim Teeman|December 12, 2014|DAILY BEAST
That song would soon morph from the jaunty clip of the light rail to the siren sounds of jazz.
Those Kansas City Blues: A Family History|Katie Baker|October 24, 2014|DAILY BEAST
As I stepped into the main building that housed Unit C, an earsplitting siren blared suddenly and a dozen strobes flashed.
Inside a Hospital for the Criminally Insane|Caitlin Dickson|September 15, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Half an hour after I had returned to my old apartment from Jaffa, an air raid siren went off.
How I Got Used to Gaza Rockets|Miranda Frum|July 9, 2014|DAILY BEAST
He came close to having convulsions when a squad car passed on the next street west, its siren wailing.
Hooded Detective, Volume III No. 2, January, 1942|Various
The soldier of Revolution must not be lured from the field of battle by the siren song of love.
Prison Memoirs of an Anarchist|Alexander Berkman
That police car, roaring up from behind, siren a-scream, smashed into the tail end of their job.
Hooded Detective, Volume III No. 2, January, 1942|Various
The officers of the Siren saw them also, and sent their boats into the harbor to aid the fugitives, if necessary.
Stories of Our Naval Heroes|Various
A little while afterwards the Canada's siren began to wail and squeal with a horrible mockery of painful cries.
The Relief of Mafeking|Filson Young

British Dictionary definitions for siren

siren

/ (ˈsaɪərən) /

noun

a device for emitting a loud wailing sound, esp as a warning or signal, typically consisting of a rotating perforated metal drum through which air or steam is passed under pressure

(sometimes capital) Greek myth one of several sea nymphs whose seductive singing was believed to lure sailors to destruction on the rocks the nymphs inhabited

a woman considered to be dangerously alluring or seductive
(as modifier)her siren charms

any aquatic eel-like salamander of the North American family Sirenidae, having external gills, no hind limbs, and reduced forelimbs

Word Origin for siren

C14: from Old French sereine, from Latin sīrēn, from Greek seirēn

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

siren

OTHER WORDS FOR siren

Origin of siren

OTHER WORDS FROM siren

Words nearby siren

Words related to siren

How to use siren in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for siren

Word Origin for siren