Adjacent Words

Alarm definitions

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Webster's 1828 Dictionary

AL'ARM, n.
1. Any sound, outcry or information intended to give notice of approaching danger as, to sound an alarm.
2. A summon to arms.
3. Sudden surprise with fear or terror; as, the fire or the enemy excited an alarm.
4. Terror; a sensation excited by an apprehension of danger, from whatever cause; as, we felt an alarm at the cry of fire.
5. In fencing, an appeal or challenge.
AL'ARM, v.t.
1. To give notice of danger; to rouse to vigilance, and exertions for safety.
2. To call to arms for defense.
3. To surprise with apprehension of danger; to disturb with terror; to fill with anxiety by the prospect of evil.

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

n
1: fear resulting from the awareness of danger [syn: alarm, dismay, consternation]
2: a device that signals the occurrence of some undesirable event [syn: alarm, warning device, alarm system]
3: an automatic signal (usually a sound) warning of danger [syn: alarm, alert, warning signal, alarum]
4: a clock that wakes a sleeper at some preset time [syn: alarm clock, alarm] v
1: fill with apprehension or alarm; cause to be unpleasantly surprised; "I was horrified at the thought of being late for my interview"; "The news of the executions horrified us" [syn: dismay, alarm, appal, appall, horrify]
2: warn or arouse to a sense of danger or call to a state of preparedness; "The empty house alarmed him"; "We alerted the new neighbors to the high rate of burglaries" [syn: alarm, alert]

Merriam Webster's

I. noun also alarum Etymology: Middle English alarme, alarom, from Middle French alarme, from Old Italian all'arme, literally, to the arms Date: 14th century 1. (usually alarum) archaic a call to arms <the angry trumpet sounds alarum — Shakespeare> 2. a signal (as a loud noise or flashing light) that warns or alerts; also a device that signals <set the alarm to wake me at seven> 3. sudden sharp apprehension and fear resulting from the perception of imminent danger 4. a warning notice Synonyms: see fear II. transitive verb also alarum Date: 1651 1. disturb, excite 2. to give warning to 3. to strike with fear 4. to equip with an alarm • alarmingly adverb

Oxford Reference Dictionary

n. & v. --n. 1 a warning of danger etc. (gave the alarm). 2 a a warning sound or device (the burglar alarm was set off accidentally). b = alarm clock. 3 frightened expectation of danger or difficulty (were filled with alarm). --v.tr. 1 frighten or disturb. 2 arouse to a sense of danger. Phrases and idioms: alarm clock a clock with a device that can be made to sound at the time set in advance. Etymology: ME f. OF alarme f. It. allarme f. all' arme! to arms

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Alarm A*larm" ([.a]*l[aum]rm"), n. [F. alarme, It. all' arme to arms ! fr. L. arma, pl., arms. See Arms, and cf. Alarum.] 1. A summons to arms, as on the approach of an enemy. Arming to answer in a night alarm. --Shak. 2. Any sound or information intended to give notice of approaching danger; a warning sound to arouse attention; a warning of danger. Sound an alarm in my holy mountain. --Joel ii. 1. 3. A sudden attack; disturbance; broil. [R.] ``These home alarms.'' --Shak. Thy palace fill with insults and alarms. --Pope. 4. Sudden surprise with fear or terror excited by apprehension of danger; in the military use, commonly, sudden apprehension of being attacked by surprise. Alarm and resentment spread throughout the camp. --Macaulay. 5. A mechanical contrivance for awaking persons from sleep, or rousing their attention; an alarum. Alarm bell, a bell that gives notice on danger. Alarm clock or watch, a clock or watch which can be so set as to ring or strike loudly at a prearranged hour, to wake from sleep, or excite attention. Alarm gauge, a contrivance attached to a steam boiler for showing when the pressure of steam is too high, or the water in the boiler too low. Alarm post, a place to which troops are to repair in case of an alarm. Syn: Fright; affright; terror; trepidation; apprehension; consternation; dismay; agitation; disquiet; disquietude. Usage: Alarm, Fright, Terror, Consternation. These words express different degrees of fear at the approach of danger. Fright is fear suddenly excited, producing confusion of the senses, and hence it is unreflecting. Alarm is the hurried agitation of feeling which springs from a sense of immediate and extreme exposure. Terror is agitating and excessive fear, which usually benumbs the faculties. Consternation is overwhelming fear, and carries a notion of powerlessness and amazement. Alarm agitates the feelings; terror disorders the understanding and affects the will; fright seizes on and confuses the sense; consternation takes possession of the soul, and subdues its faculties. See Apprehension.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Alarm A*larm", v. t. [imp. & p. p. Alarmed; p. pr. & vb. n. Alarming.] [Alarm, n. Cf. F. alarmer.] 1. To call to arms for defense; to give notice to (any one) of approaching danger; to rouse to vigilance and action; to put on the alert. 2. To keep in excitement; to disturb. 3. To surprise with apprehension of danger; to fill with anxiety in regard to threatening evil; to excite with sudden fear. Alarmed by rumors of military preparation. --Macaulay.

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

(alarms, alarming, alarmed) Frequency: The word is one of the 3000 most common words in English. 1. Alarm is a feeling of fear or anxiety that something unpleasant or dangerous might happen. The news was greeted with alarm by MPs... N-UNCOUNT: oft with/in N, N over/about n 2. If something alarms you, it makes you afraid or anxious that something unpleasant or dangerous might happen. We could not see what had alarmed him. = frighten VERB: V n 3. An alarm is an automatic device that warns you of danger, for example by ringing a bell. He heard the alarm go off. N-COUNT 4. An alarm is the same as an alarm clock. N-COUNT 5. see also alarming, alarmed, burglar alarm, car alarm, false alarm, fire alarm, smoke alarm 6. If you say that something sets alarm bells ringing, you mean that it makes people feel worried or concerned about something. PHRASE: N inflects 7. If you raise the alarm or sound the alarm, you warn people of danger. His family raised the alarm when he had not come home by 9pm. PHRASE: V inflects

Easton's Bible Dictionary

a particular quivering sound of the silver trumpets to give warning to the Hebrews on their journey through the wilderness (Num. 10:5, 6), a call to arms, or a war-note (Jer. 4:19; 49:2; Zeph. 1:16).

International Standard Bible Encyclopedia

a-larm' (teru`ah): This expression is found six times in the Old Testament. The Hebrew word so rendered is derived from a verb meaning "to shout" or "blow a horn," as a signal for breaking up camp, starting on a journey or into battle, or in triumphant shout over the defeat of enemies. In a few instances it is employed of a cry of despair or distress. The noun teru`ah translated "alarm" in Nu 10:5 f refers to the signal given the people of Israel to start on their journey in the Wilderness. The passages in Jer (4:19; 49:2) both refer to the summons for war. The same is true of Ze 1:16. The law concerning the sounding of the alarm is fully stated in Nu 10:1-10. Here we read that two silver trumpets of beaten work were sounded by the sons of Aaron in case of war and also "in the day of .... gladness" to gather the people together for the various feasts, new moons, sacrifices and offerings.

W. W. Davies

Soule's Dictionary of English Synonyms

I. n. 1. Alarum, larum, tocsin, summons to arms, alarm-bell, alarm-gun, beat of drum, sound of trumpet, notice of danger, signal of distress. 2. Fear, apprehension, terror, fright, affright, consternation, dismay. II. v. a. 1. Call to arms, summon to arms. 2. Terrify, frighten, affright, startle, scare, daunt, appall, put in fear.

Moby Thesaurus

Angelus, Angelus bell, Roman candle, abject fear, admonishment, admonition, affright, aid to navigation, alarum, alert, amaze, amber light, anxiety, apprehension, arouse, astonish, awe, balefire, battle cry, beacon, beacon fire, bell, bell buoy, birdcall, blinker, blue funk, blue peter, bugle call, buoy, call, caution, caution light, caveat, cold feet, consternation, cowardice, cry havoc, cry wolf, curdle the blood, daunt, deterrent example, discomfort, dismay, disquiet, distress, disturb, dread, example, excitement, fear, final notice, final warning, flare, fly storm warnings, fog bell, fog signal, fog whistle, foghorn, forewarning, fright, frighten, funk, glance, go light, gong, gong buoy, green light, heliograph, high sign, hint, horn, horrification, horripilate, horror, international alphabet flag, international numeral pennant, kick, last post, leer, lesson, make one tremble, marker beacon, monition, moose call, moral, nervousness, nod, notice, notification, nudge, object lesson, panic, panic fear, parachute flare, phobia, pilot flag, poke, police whistle, prenotice, quarantine flag, radio beacon, raise apprehensions, rallying cry, rebel yell, red flag, red light, reveille, rocket, sailing aid, scare, semaphore, semaphore flag, semaphore telegraph, shake, sign, signal, signal beacon, signal bell, signal fire, signal flag, signal gong, signal gun, signal lamp, signal light, signal mast, signal post, signal rocket, signal shot, signal siren, signal tower, siren, sound the alarm, sound the tocsin, spar buoy, spook, stagger, stampede, startle, stop light, strain, stress, summons, surprise, taps, tension, terrify, terror, terrorize, the nod, the wink, threat, tip-off, tocsin, touch, traffic light, traffic signal, trepidation, trumpet call, ultimatum, uneasiness, unholy dread, unman, unnerve, unstring, upset, verbum sapienti, war cry, warn, warning, warning piece, watch fire, whistle, white flag, wigwag, wigwag flag, wink, yellow flag