alarm (əˈlɑːm
)
Definitions
verb (tr)
- to fill with apprehension, anxiety, or fear
- to warn about danger; alert
- to fit or activate a burglar alarm on a house, car, etc
noun
- fear or terror aroused by awareness of danger; fright
- apprehension or uneasiness ⇒
the idea of failing filled him with alarm
- a noise, signal, etc, warning of danger
- any device that transmits such a warning ⇒
a burglar alarm
- the device in an alarm clock that triggers off the bell or buzzer
- short for alarm clock
- archaic a call to arms
- fencing a warning or challenge made by stamping the front foot
Alternative Forms
aˈlarming adjective aˈlarmingly adverbWord Origin
C14: from Old French alarme, from Old Italian all'arme to arms; see arm²Synonyms
View thesaurus entry=
fear,
horror,
panic,
anxiety,
distress,
terror,
dread,
dismay,
fright,
unease,
apprehension,
nervousness,
consternation,
trepidation,
uneasiness,
Translations
- British English:
alarm
Alarm is a feeling of fear or anxiety that something unpleasant or dangerous might happen.The news was greeted with alarm by MPs.əˈlɑːm NOUN The news was greeted with alarm by MPs.
- Spanish:
alarma
nf
- French:
alarme
nf
- German:
Beunruhigung
nf
- Chinese: 警报 n
- Arabic: رُعْب n
- Portuguese: alarme nm
- Russian: тревога nf
- Croatian: uzbuna nf
- Czech: obava nf
- Danish: alarm nutr
- Dutch: alarm nnt
- Finnish: pelästys n
- Greek: πανικός nm
- Italian: allarme nm
- Japanese: 恐怖 n
- Korean: 공포 n
- Norwegian: engstelse nm
- Polish: obawa nf
- Brazilian Portuguese: alerta nm
- European Spanish:
alarma
nf
- Swedish: oro nutr
- Thai: สัณญานเตือนภัย n
- Turkish: alarm n
- Vietnamese: sự hoảng hốt n
Usage examples
He slept fitfully, uncomfortably, woke often feeling anxious, he was tired and irritable and grumpy when his alarm eventually rang.
, THE KINDEST USE A KNIFE (2002)A computer then reads the codes, and sounds an alarm if they do not match with the patient.
New Scientist (2005)All the alarm bells of Twickenham were sounded again in the Stade de France.
Irish Times (2002)There is gas central heating, double glazing, an alarm system plus a detached garage.
Glasgow Herald (2001)He knew he should warn Salamanca, but he was scared of raising a false alarm.
, SHARPE'S TRAFALGAR (2001)