alarm
Americannoun
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alarms
plural
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a sudden fear or distressing suspense caused by an awareness of danger; apprehension; fright.
- Synonyms:
- panic, terror, consternation
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any sound, outcry, or information intended to warn of approaching danger.
Paul Revere raced through the countryside raising the alarm that the British were coming.
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an automatic device that serves to call attention, to rouse from sleep, or to warn of fire, smoke, an intruder, etc.
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a warning sound; signal for attention.
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Animal Behavior. any sound, outcry, chemical discharge, action, or other signal that functions to draw attention to a potential predator.
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Fencing. an appeal or a challenge made by a step or stamp on the ground with the advancing foot.
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Archaic. a call to arms.
verb (used with object)
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alarms,
present (3rd person singular)
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alarmed,
past participle, past
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alarming
present participle
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to make fearful or apprehensive; distress.
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to warn of danger; rouse to vigilance and swift measures for safety.
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to fit or equip with an alarm or alarms, as for fire, smoke, or robbery.
to alarm one's house and garage.
verb
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to fill with apprehension, anxiety, or fear
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to warn about danger; alert
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to fit or activate a burglar alarm on a house, car, etc
noun
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fear or terror aroused by awareness of danger; fright
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apprehension or uneasiness
the idea of failing filled him with alarm
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a noise, signal, etc, warning of danger
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any device that transmits such a warning
a burglar alarm
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the device in an alarm clock that triggers off the bell or buzzer
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short for alarm clock
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archaic a call to arms
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fencing a warning or challenge made by stamping the front foot
Usage
What does alarm mean? Alarm is a sudden feeling of fear or suspense caused by an awareness of danger, as in The pirates boarding the ship filled the captain with alarm. An alarm is any sound or cry that is meant to alert someone. It can also be the device that produces the alarm, such as an alarm clock. Sounding the alarm means to activate a siren, bell, or a repeated verbal call, usually projected from a speaker of some kind. To alarm someone is to make them fearful or distressed, as in My parents alarmed me when they started talking about moving south. To alarm also means to warn someone about danger. Example: Not to alarm you, but I feel like I might need to go to the emergency room.
Synonym Usage
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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prealarmverb (used with object)
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alarmableadjective
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alarmingadjective
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unalarmedadjective
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alarmedlyadverb
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alarminglyadverb
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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alarmsimple
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alarmssimple
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have alarmedperfect
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has alarmedperfect
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am alarmingprogressive
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are alarmingprogressive
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is alarmingprogressive
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have been alarmingperfect progressive
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has been alarmingperfect progressive
Past
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alarmedsimple
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had alarmedperfect
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was alarmingprogressive
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were alarmingprogressive
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had been alarmingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of alarm
1350–1400; Middle English alarme, alarom < Middle French < Old Italian allarme, noun from phrase all'arme to (the) arms. See arm 2
Explanation
On a clock, the alarm can be set to go off at a certain time to wake nearby sleepers. You should always check the alarm on the clock at a hotel because a previous guest may have it set to go off in the middle of the night. The noun alarm refers to a signal that is meant to rouse, alert, or awaken someone. On April 18, 1775, William Dawes, Paul Revere, and several others rode from Boston to Lexington, Massachusetts to raise the alarm that the British were coming. As a verb, alarm means to be filled with anxiety or apprehension. You may become alarmed if your children become too quiet. Never a good sign — they are probably up to something mischievous.
Vocabulary lists containing alarm
Words inspired by "Inside Out"
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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.
See Examples For:
De la Madrid said in his memoir published in 2004 that initial election results favoring Cárdenas had caused great alarm in the ruling party.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 29, 2026
Economists predict growth will slow, but not enough to cause any alarm.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 29, 2026
Col Watson said: "The built-in alarm would have alarmed because the rear doors were open, and had that gone off the driver would have almost certainly stopped."
From BBC ● Oct. 26, 2026
The patterns “set off the alarm bells,” he said.
From Salon ● Oct. 24, 2026
“Wait, is there not an alarm on that door? It has that big sign and the bar thing!”
From "Popcorn" by Rob Harrell
If I lose contact again with the team, we have to keep it within the team because I do know that that hit alarms and a lot of people were stressed and panicked.
From BBC ● Oct. 27, 2026
Their tracking method allowed them to see the Cadillac was on the move, passing through toll booths and military checkpoints, but without setting off alarms.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 11, 2026
"What happened should not be used to generate alarms and disorder," he said, adding that he had called for a report on the damage.
From Barron's ● Oct. 9, 2026
The alarms keep patients from getting sleep and overwhelm nurses.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 2, 2026
And then, the alarms went off and the door at the far end of the room swung open.
From "The Darkest Minds" by Alexandra Bracken
The prospect of a water- and power-hungry hyperscale data centre near areas of the city where thousands of people lack proper access to these resources has alarmed activists.
From Barron's ● Oct. 28, 2026
Some of the world’s leading financiers are sounding increasingly alarmed about an AI bubble.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 25, 2026
His parents became alarmed when he didn’t turn up to meet them the next day.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 16, 2026
That’s according to newsletter editor Steven Jon Kaplan, who is alarmed by what he sees as investors piling into stocks without much thought.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 15, 2026
Van Helsing and I were a little alarmed about Mrs. Harker to-day.
From "Dracula" by Bram Stoker
The frankness of the RBA’s communications is both refreshing and also alarming.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 29, 2026
As Ivan and Nina wrestle with their own emotional truths, which range from her mother Nora’s departure from their lives to Ivan’s clumsy recitations of Nina’s childhood antics, something alarming is afoot.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 28, 2026
"Twenty-three years later, the alarming consequences of climate change, economic uncertainty, geopolitical tensions, and shifting consumer behavior have profoundly disrupted the reality on the ground," the association said in a statement.
From Barron's ● Oct. 21, 2026
What happened to Bleecker Street, then, is both familiar to Gibney and extraordinarily alarming.
From Salon ● Oct. 16, 2026
One historian called Chernenko "an enfeebled geriatric so zombie-like as to be beyond assessing intelligence reports, alarming or not."
From "Spies: The Secret Showdown Between America and Russia" by Marc Favreau
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