- present participle of warn.
warning
Americannoun
-
warnings
plural
-
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
-
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.
See Examples For:
The outbreak was already the fastest growing on record, UN humanitarian chief Tom Fletcher said last week, warning that "the epidemic is killing someone every 30 minutes".
From BBC ● Aug. 17, 2026
A Cabinet Office press release, posted to their website at about 18:45 on Friday, was missed by many in the media, which meant there was little warning to the public.
From BBC ● Aug. 16, 2026
Tapper pressed Cassidy on whether Kennedy’s history should have been warning enough.
From Salon ● Aug. 16, 2026
The police in Dendermonde, a city of around 50,000 in the Flanders region, 18 miles northwest of Brussels, are warning potential scourers to stay away.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 16, 2026
On Sunday morning, Roald woke to the high, then low, sounds of a warning siren.
From "Mountain of Fire" by Rebecca E. F. Barone
And in Germany, steel giant Thyssenkrupp warned that record-low levels on the Rhine were threatening raw material deliveries, echoing industry warnings that the waterway could soon become unnavigable.
From Barron's ● Aug. 14, 2026
Contrary to all the warnings that the refund process would be slow and messy, companies have received the money with remarkable speed, report Theo Francis and Celia Bernhardt.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 13, 2026
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
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
"We do not need your warnings, Sheba," she said in a level voice.
From "Rowan of Rin" by Emily Rodda
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.
