warn

[wawrn]

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verb (used with object)

to give notice, advice, or intimation to (a person, group, etc.) of danger, impending evil, possible harm, or anything else unfavorable: They warned him of a plot against him. She was warned that her life was in danger.

to urge or advise to be careful; caution: to warn a careless driver.

to admonish or exhort, as to action or conduct: She warned her employees to be on time.

to notify, advise, or inform: to warn a person of an intended visit.

to give notice to (a person, group, etc.) to go, keep at a distance, etc. (often followed by away, off, etc.): A sign warns trespassers off the grounds. A marker warned boats away from the dock.

to give authoritative or formal notice to (someone); order; summon: to warn a person to appear in court.

verb (used without object)

to give a warning; caution: to warn of further disasters.

Origin of warn

before 1000; Middle English warnen, Old English warnian; cognate with German warnen. Cf. ware²

Related formswarn·er, nounpre·warn, verb (used with object)re·warn, verb (used with object)un·warned, adjectivewell-warned, adjective

Synonyms for warn

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR warn ON THESAURUS.COM

1. forewarn.

Synonym study

Warn, caution, admonish imply attempting to prevent another from running into danger or getting into unpleasant or undesirable circumstances. To warn is to speak plainly and usually in strong terms: to warn him about danger and possible penalties. To caution is to advise about necessary precautions, to put one on one's guard about possibly harmful circumstances or conditions, thus emphasizing avoidance of undesirable consequences: to caution him against driving in such weather. Admonish suggests giving earnest, authoritative advice with only tacit references to danger or penalty: to admonish a person for neglecting his duties.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for warn

urge, prompt, prepare, hint, predict, suggest, signal, recommend, order, inform, instruct, caution, notify, remind, threaten, advise, alert, tell, address, summon

Examples from the Web for warn

Contemporary Examples of warn

In the United States, people used to warn against taking wooden nickels.
Recession? Devaluation? Inflation? Putin Tells Russia Stay the Course.
Anna Nemtsova
December 4, 2014
I speak here to warn people that the facts presented in the opera are incomplete and distorted.
Rudy Giuliani: Why I Protested ‘The Death of Klinghoffer’
Rudy Giuliani
October 20, 2014
You said that shutting down a newspaper is not the right way to warn those who may have infringed on the law.
Iran Journalists to Rouhani: Stop Lying!
IranWire
October 3, 2014
I mean he did choose to warn him instead of have him killed.
‘The Good Wife’ Star Mike Colter Defends Lemond Bishop’s Killer Instincts
Kevin Fallon
September 29, 2014
Nor did he warn the hospital that the book is being published this week.
Inside a Hospital for the Criminally Insane
Caitlin Dickson
September 15, 2014

Historical Examples of warn

But there was nothing to warn me; he never spoke of love; I never thought of it.
The Bacillus of Beauty
Harriet Stark
What is to be said about neglecting to warn or assist others?
An Explanation of Luther's Small Catechism
Joseph Stump
And Molly Abrahamson used to warn him to keep out of her father's way.
Howard Pyle's Book of Pirates
Howard Pyle
Yet, I warn you, appearances are deceitful; he is always drunker than he looks.
In the Valley
Harold Frederic
Among other matters he writes this: 'I warn all brethren in England to be careful.
Fair Margaret
H. Rider Haggard

British Dictionary definitions for warn

warn

verb

to notify or make (someone) aware of danger, harm, etc

(tr; often takes a negative and an infinitive) to advise or admonish (someone) as to action, conduct, etcI warn you not to do that again

(takes a clause as object or an infinitive) to inform (someone) in advancehe warned them that he would arrive late

(tr; usually foll by away, off, etc) to give notice to go away, be off, etche warned the trespassers off his ground

Derived Formswarner, noun

Word Origin for warn

Old English wearnian; related to Old High German warnēn, Old Norse varna to refuse

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

Word Origin and History for warn

Old English warnian "to give notice of impending danger," also intransitive, "to take heed," from West Germanic *warnojanan (cf. Old Norse varna "to admonish," Old High German warnon "to take heed," German warnen "to warn"); related to Old English wær "aware, cautious" (see wary). Related: Warned; warning.