Showing results for "warning"

• present participle of warn.

warning

American  

[wawr-ning] / ˈwɔr nɪŋ /

noun

• warnings
  plural

1. the act or utterance of one who warns or the existence, appearance, sound, etc., of a thing that warns.

2. something that serves to warn, give notice, or caution.

   We fired a warning at the intruders.

   Synonyms:

   presage, augury, portent, sign, omen, advice, admonition, caution

3. Meteorology. an announcement from the U.S. National Weather Service alerting the public that a storm or other weather-related hazard is imminent and that immediate steps should be taken to protect lives and property.

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adjective

1. serving to warn, advise, caution.

   a warning bell.

warning British  

/ ˈwɔːnɪŋ /

noun

1. a hint, intimation, threat, etc, of harm or danger

2. advice to beware or desist

3. an archaic word for notice

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adjective

1. (prenominal) intended or serving to warn

   a warning look

2. (of the coloration of certain distasteful or poisonous animals) having conspicuous markings, which predators recognize and learn to avoid; aposematic

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• warningly
  adverb

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• warnings
  plural

Etymology

Origin of warning

First recorded before 900; Middle English (noun); Old English war(e)nung “precaution”; see warn, -ing ¹, -ing ²

Explanation

A warning is a caution against something dangerous. When there's a shark warning at the beach, the lifeguards will order everyone out of the water. When you receive a warning, you get an official advance notice of some impending problem. A crow might caw loudly as a warning when it sees a cat, and a traffic cop might give a first-time speeder a warning instead of an expensive ticket. You can also use warning as an adjective: "The warning light came on in her car as it started to overheat."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

warning warnings

Colchester City Council and West Mersea Town Council have said signs warning of the sea's danger are due to be installed at the scene of their deaths.

From BBC ● Aug. 13, 2026

In April, Rodriguez sent LA28 a letter warning the city’s public safety costs could easily blow past $1 billion if there is an emergency or major weather event.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 13, 2026

An amber heat health alert, warning of significant detrimental impacts to health and social care services is in place across the whole of England until 21:00 BST on Friday.

From BBC ● Aug. 13, 2026

Controllers are typically given a three-minute warning by Marine One crews to clear the airspace of civilian traffic.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 12, 2026

“La, I understand why you’re doing this. But fair warning, you’re making a difficult thing nearly impossible.”

From "Split the Sky" by Marie Arnold

When evacuation warnings started rolling in on Monday, Morris, who manages Glen Oaks Big Sur, spent the day explaining the situation to guests at the property and those who had reservations in the coming days.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 13, 2026

The crew ignored warnings to turn back, the U.S. military said.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 12, 2026

Burnham confirmed that he is considering a ban on disposable BBQs after the wildfire prompted further warnings about using them in high risk areas.

From BBC ● Aug. 12, 2026

The result is that Sanders’ warnings are likely to go just as unheeded as Helaena Targaryen’s.

From Salon ● Aug. 12, 2026

All the warnings that Mrs. Contreras had given him piled up in his mind.

From "The Way to Rio Luna" by Zoraida Cordova

Related Words

• admonition
• advice
• alarm
• alert
• caution
• example
• guidance
• hint
• indication
• information
• lesson
• notification
• prediction
• recommendation
• sign
• signal
• suggestion
• threat
• word