siren

American  

[sahy-ruhn] / ˈsaɪ rən /

noun

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

2. a seductively beautiful or charming woman, especially one who beguiles men.

   a siren of the silver screen.

   Synonyms:

   vamp, temptress, seductress

3. 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.

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

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

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adjective

1. of or like a siren.

2. seductive or tempting, especially dangerously or harmfully.

   the siren call of adventure.

verb (used without object)

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

verb (used with object)

1. to allure in the manner of a siren.

siren British  

/ ˈsaɪərən /

noun

1. 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

2. (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

3. 1. a woman considered to be dangerously alluring or seductive

   2. ( as modifier )

      her siren charms

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

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Other Word Forms

• sirenlike
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of siren

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

Explanation

You know that loud wailing sound coming up the highway behind you? That's the siren on the police car racing along, lights flashing, chasing a speeder (not you, of course). The word comes from the Sirens in ancient Greek mythology, the women whose beautiful singing lures sailors to wreck their ships on the rocks. Remember Odysseus, in The Odyssey of Homer? He had his crew plug their ears and then tie him to the mast, so that he could hear the Siren song but not be destroyed by it. Most women won't mind if you call them a siren — meaning they're dangerously beautiful. Who'd object to that?

Example Sentences

"The siren tower in our village is rusting and leaning and is set to fall any time because there has never been any maintenance."

From BBC • Apr. 24, 2026

That studio was later used by dancer and choreographer Valerie Bettis, who crafted routines for some of Hollywood and Broadway’s biggest heavyweights, including famed screen siren Rita Hayworth.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 14, 2026

During the simulation, an air-raid siren sounded and everyone sought cover beneath the tables.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 19, 2026

Palestinians also took playful aim at a Facebook post by Jerusalem Mayor Moshe Lion detailing the proper conduct when an air raid siren sounds.

From Barron's • Mar. 8, 2026

It began not with an absence of noise or a deafening crush of earth, but with the gurgle of water and the alarm of a siren.

From "Mountain of Fire" by Rebecca E. F. Barone