warning

[wawr-ning]

noun

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.

adjective

1. serving to warn, advise, caution.

   a warning bell.

warning

/ ˈwɔːnɪŋ /

noun

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

2. advice to beware or desist

3. an archaic word for notice

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

• warningly adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of warning¹

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

Example Sentences

Fateh’s campaign office in Minneapolis was vandalized with a message that read, “Somali Muslim — this warning is no joke.”

From Salon

“What I have been warning of is now being realized,” he said during a Monday press conference.

From Salon

By the end, this novel has become at once a requiem, a farewell, an old soft-shoe number — and a warning.

From Los Angeles Times

Constant alerts from warning systems might compound the problem, presenting professionals with a barrage of data they have to make sense of.

From BBC

Because, even amid the euphoria of his side's World Cup win, head coach John Mitchell sounded a warning.

From BBC

Related Words

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