- present participle of warn.
warning
Americannoun
-
the act or utterance of one who warns or the existence, appearance, sound, etc., of a thing that warns.
-
something that serves to warn, give notice, or caution.
We fired a warning at the intruders.
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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
noun
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a hint, intimation, threat, etc, of harm or danger
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advice to beware or desist
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an archaic word for notice
adjective
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(prenominal) intended or serving to warn
a warning look
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(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
Inflected Forms
Nouns
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."
Vocabulary lists containing warning
"Encounter"
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"Volcano!"
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Messenger
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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.
On the surface, that sounds like a clear warning sign for investors who see a dovish Fed in the future.
From MarketWatch • Jun. 29, 2026
France's national health agency has tallied around 1,000 more deaths than usual since June 24, warning that the figure will rise further.
From Barron's • Jun. 28, 2026
And that put him in position to score easily on Tommy Edman’s double to the center-field warning track for the first run of the game.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 28, 2026
The officer took one look at the shape he was in and let him off with a warning, he said.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 27, 2026
We were splashing around, shivering and laughing, and Gran ran to the shore waving her mighty arms, warning us we were doing irreparable harm to our gallbladders.
From "The Bletchley Riddle" by Ruta Sepetys and Steve Sheinkin
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.
