warn

[ wawrn ]

/ wɔrn /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR warn ON THESAURUS.COM

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.

Nearby words

Origin of warn

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

SYNONYMS FOR warn

1. forewarn.

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR warn ON THESAURUS.COM

Related forms

warn·er, nounpre·warn, verb (used with object)re·warn, verb (used with object)un·warned, adjective

well-warned, adjective

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

Examples from the Web for 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|DAILY BEAST
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|DAILY BEAST
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|DAILY BEAST
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|DAILY BEAST

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|DAILY BEAST
A bell is automatically rung by the machine to warn the attendant that the desired length has been deposited into the can.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 16, Slice 6|Various
I came to warn the man, Marchand, for if Dennis kills him, then they will hang Dennis.
The World For Sale, Complete|Gilbert Parker
But so sharp were her tones I hadn't the courage to warn her that even Susan had read most of it.
Memoirs of a Midget|Walter de la Mare
Eager to warn the traveller of what she had seen, she touched her.
The Angel Over the Right Shoulder|Elizabeth Wooster Stuart Phelps
We warn all People, and particularly young People, against such Sins as these.
A General History of the Pyrates:|Daniel Defoe

British Dictionary definitions for warn

warn

/ (wɔːn) /

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

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.