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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Common Five-letter Words for Wordle, List 1
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Yikes! Synonyms for "Scared"
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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:
The head of French defence and technology group Thales called on governments Monday to take responsibility for regulating artificial intelligence, as more tech leaders sound the alarm over the technology's rapid rise.
From Barron's ● Sep. 14, 2026
When Anthropic earlier this year released its Mythos system, which can automatically detect security flaws, Beijing responded with alarm and pushed domestic companies to match the technology.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 14, 2026
When the body detects an infection or injury, it sends out alarm signals that recruit immune cells and other cells to eliminate the threat and begin repairing damaged tissue.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 14, 2026
Moselakgomo's family thanked the public for the support in searching for the mother of one and commended her eight-year-old daughter for raising the alarm about her disappearance.
From BBC ● Sep. 14, 2026
Downstairs, the door opened and someone punched the alarm code in.
From "Boy 2.0" by Tracey Baptiste
That employees at a company with a reputation for AI safety are raising alarms could lead investors to question its branding, Martin said, adding it’s important to remember the posts don’t represent all employees.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 11, 2026
Ford, like many in the U.S. auto industry, has raised alarms about the prospect of Chinese cars entering the American market.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 8, 2026
Officials are sounding alarms about the potential health impacts related to this week’s oppressive humidity and intense heat in Southern California.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 8, 2026
The deal is also raising alarms within the industry about whether a new Venezuelan government could mount a successful legal challenge, and whether it might undercut new entrants’ confidence in making investments, the people said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 30, 2026
Ignoring him, I switch off the alarms and hang the clocks in their rightful spots.
From "A Mango-Shaped Space" by Wendy Mass
Americans appear increasingly alarmed by the technology,with 7 in 10 polled in March opposing local construction of data centers that power AI technology, according to a Gallup survey.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 13, 2026
The practice has alarmed de la Espriella’s political opponents and human-rights groups, who accuse him of displaying the dead as trophies and violating international rules that prohibit desecrating those killed in operations.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 12, 2026
The article—by reporters Jonathan Swan, Adam Entous, and Maggie Haberman—adds that those commanders are alarmed by how much the war has depleted U.S. weapons stockpiles, including long-range missiles and interceptors to thwart air attacks.
From Slate ● Sep. 11, 2026
What fixed-income investors may be overlooking most, though, are the options available to central banks if they become alarmed by long-term bond yields rising too far, too fast.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 3, 2026
And I tell him that if he wants to talk to me again, he can call the number here, and don’t be alarmed if someone answers “Joe’s Pub.”
From "It’s Kind of a Funny Story" by Ned Vizzini
This is even more alarming in light of reporting this week from The Washington Post that “The number of 9/11 survivors who are receiving aid for cancer has roughly tripled over the last five years.”
From Salon ● Sep. 12, 2026
The core PPI will be less alarming, but still on the hotter side.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 9, 2026
Last week, more alarming details were revealed about a recent safety incident involving the company OpenAI, and the unexpected actions taken by an artificial intelligence thingamajig it was testing.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 6, 2026
I walk down the street and I see an alarming number of people wearing weighted walking vests now, which is so frightening that it requires me to catch my breath every now and again.
From Slate ● Sep. 6, 2026
In conversation he listened with an intensity that was almost alarming, as if Belknap were the most fascinating man in the world, not just an elderly uncle visiting from Big Foot Prairie.
From "The Devil in the White City" by Erik Larson
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.
