Adjacent Words

Alert definitions

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Webster's 1828 Dictionary

ALERT', a.
1. Watchful; vigilant; active in vigilance. hence the military phrase, upon the alert, upon the watch, guarding against surprise or danger.
2. Brisk; nimble; moving the celerity.

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

adj
1: engaged in or accustomed to close observation; "caught by a couple of alert cops"; "alert enough to spot the opportunity when it came"; "constantly alert and vigilant, like a sentinel on duty" [syn: alert, watchful] [ant: unalert, unvigilant, unwatchful]
2: quick and energetic; "a brisk walk in the park"; "a lively gait"; "a merry chase"; "traveling at a rattling rate"; "a snappy pace"; "a spanking breeze" [syn: alert, brisk, lively, merry, rattling, snappy, spanking, zippy]
3: mentally perceptive and responsive;"an alert mind"; "alert to the problems"; "alive to what is going on"; "awake to the dangers of her situation"; "was now awake to the reality of his predicament" [syn: alert, alive, awake] n
1: condition of heightened watchfulness or preparation for action; "bombers were put on alert during the crisis" [syn: alert, qui vive]
2: a warning serves to make you more alert to danger [syn: alert, alerting]
3: an automatic signal (usually a sound) warning of danger [syn: alarm, alert, warning signal, alarum] v
1: 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. adjective Etymology: Italian all'erta, on the watch, literally, on the height Date: 1618 1. a. watchful and prompt to meet danger or emergency b. quick to perceive and act 2. active, brisk Synonyms: see watchful, intelligent • alertly adverb • alertness noun II. noun Date: 1803 1. a state of careful watching and readiness especially for danger or opportunity <on 24-hour alert> 2. a. an alarm or other signal of danger b. an urgent notice <an alert to parents…about new immunization requirements — Ann Schrader> 3. the period during which an alert is in effect III. transitive verb Date: circa 1868 1. to call to a state of readiness ; warn 2. to make aware of <alerted the public to the dangers of pesticides>

Oxford Reference Dictionary

adj., n., & v. --adj. 1 watchful or vigilant; ready to take action. 2 nimble (esp. of mental faculties); attentive. --n. 1 a warning call or alarm. 2 a warning of an air raid. b the duration of this. --v.tr. (often foll. by to) make alert; warn (were alerted to the danger). Phrases and idioms: on the alert on the lookout against danger or attack. Derivatives: alertly adv. alertness n. Etymology: F alerte f. It. all' erta to the watch-tower

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Alert A*lert", n. (Mil.) An alarm from a real or threatened attack; a sudden attack; also, a bugle sound to give warning. ``We have had an alert.'' --Farrow. On the alert, on the lookout or watch against attack or danger; ready to act.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Alert A*lert" ([.a]*l[~e]rt"), a. [F. alerte, earlier [`a] l'erte on the watch, fr. It. all' erta on the watch, prop. (standing) on a height, where one can look around; erta a declivity, steep, erto steep, p. p. of ergere, erigere, to erect, raise, L. erigere. See Erect.] 1. Watchful; vigilant; active in vigilance. 2. Brisk; nimble; moving with celerity. An alert young fellow. --Addison. Syn: Active; agile; lively; quick; prompt.

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

(alerts, alerting, alerted) Frequency: The word is one of the 3000 most common words in English. 1. If you are alert, you are paying full attention to things around you and are able to deal with anything that might happen. We all have to stay alert... He had been spotted by an alert neighbour. = attentive ADJ • alertness The drug improved mental alertness. 2. If you are alert to something, you are fully aware of it. The bank is alert to the danger. ADJ: v-link ADJ to n 3. An alert is a situation in which people prepare themselves for something dangerous that might happen soon. Due to a security alert, this train will not be stopping at Oxford Circus. N-COUNT 4. If you alert someone to a situation, especially a dangerous or unpleasant situation, you tell them about it. He wanted to alert people to the activities of the group... I was hoping he'd alert the police. VERB: V n to n, V n 5. see also red alert 6. If soldiers or police are on alert, they are ready to deal with anything that may happen. Soldiers and police have been put on alert. PHRASE: PHR after v, v-link PHR 7. If you are on the alert for something, you are ready to deal with it if it happens. They want to be on the alert for similar buying opportunities. PHRASE: PHR after v, v-link PHR

Soule's Dictionary of English Synonyms

a. 1. Watchful, vigilant, circumspect, wary, heedful, on the alert, on one's guard, on the watch, on the lookout, on the qui vive. 2. Active, brisk, nimble, agile, smart, lively, sprightly, spirited, supple, quick, ready, prompt. See spry.

Moby Thesaurus

Klaxon, Mayday, SOS, active, admonish, advertent, advise, agile, agog, air-raid alarm, alarm, alarm bell, alarm clock, alarm signal, alarum, alert for, alive, all clear, all ears, all eyes, animated, apt, arouse, assiduous, attentive, awake, aware, beacon, blinking light, brainy, breathe, bright, brilliant, burglar alarm, buzz, buzzer, cant, careful, caution, cautious, clear-sighted, clear-witted, clearheaded, clever, concentrated, confide, confide to, conscious, crostarie, cry havoc, cry wolf, decisive, diligent, earnest, entrust with information, equal to, expeditious, fiery cross, finical, finicking, finicky, fire alarm, fire bell, fire flag, five-minute gun, flashing light, fly storm warnings, fog bell, fog signal, foghorn, forewarn, frighten, frisky, full of life, gale warning, gay, give confidential information, give fair warning, give notice, give warning, heedful, hooter, horn, hue and cry, hurricane warning, immediate, instant, instantaneous, intense, intent, intentive, issue an ultimatum, keen, knowing, let in on, let next to, lighthouse, lively, loaded for, lookout, mention privately, mercurial, meticulous, mindful, nice, niggling, nimble, note of alarm, notify, observant, observing, occulting light, on guard, on the, on the alert, on the ball, on the job, on the lookout, open-eared, open-eyed, openmouthed, police whistle, prepared for, prompt, punctual, put hep, put next to, qui vive, quick, quick-witted, ready, ready for, regardful, sharp, signal, signal of distress, siren, sleepless, small-craft warning, smart, sound the alarm, sound the tocsin, speedy, spirited, sprightly, spry, startle, still alarm, storm cone, storm flag, storm warning, summary, swift, threaten, tip, tip off, tocsin, two-minute gun, unblinking, unnodding, unsleeping, unwinking, up, up for, up to, upside-down flag, utter a caveat, vigilant, vivacious, wakeful, warn, warn against, warning, wary, watchful, whisper, whistle, wide awake, wide-awake