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

Lewis, who delivers Orwell’s words with a steely intensity that builds toward alarm, says his warnings have only grown more urgent.

From Los Angeles Times

The second problem for the Phillies was that the Dodgers had only run the wheel play once this season, so even the best advance scouts could not have been warning the Phillies to beware.

From Los Angeles Times

The county struggled to monitor rapidly unfolding events without streamlined coordination tools and operated with “unclear” and “outdated” policies and protocols when deciding when to send evacuation warnings and orders.

From Los Angeles Times

Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has urged students not to join pro-Palestinian protests on Tuesday, the second anniversary of the 7 October Hamas attack on Israel, warning of "rising antisemitism on our streets".

From BBC

Rather filed an unsuccessful $70 million lawsuit against the network, and in the years that followed, he delivered a series of prescient warnings about the chilling effects of political appeasement.

From Salon

Related Words

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