alert

1 of 3

adjective

ə-ˈlərt 

1

a

: watchful and prompt to meet danger or emergency

an alert guard

trying to stay alert to possible problems

b

: quick to perceive and act

mentally alert

2

: active, brisk

elicited an alert response

alertly adverb

alertness noun

alert

2 of 3

noun

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

traffic alerts

They sounded the alert.

b

: an urgent notice

… an alert to parents … about new immunization requirements.

—Ann Schrader

3

: the period during which an alert is in effect

alert

3 of 3

verb

alerted; alerting; alerts

transitive verb

1

: to call (someone) to a state of readiness : warn

alerted the school board of a possible teachers' strike

alert the authorities

2

: to make (someone) aware of something

alerted the public to the dangers of pesticides

Phrases

on the alert

: looking for or expecting something (such as danger or an opportunity)

Drivers need to be on the alert for icy condition.

always on the alert for a good bargain

Synonyms

Adjective

• Argus-eyed
• attentive
• awake
• observant
• open-eyed
• tenty [Scottish]
• tentie
• vigilant
• watchful
• wide-awake

Noun

• admonishment
• admonition
• alarm
• alarum
• caution
• forewarning
• heads-up
• notice
• warning

Verb

• advise
• caution
• forewarn
• wake
• warn

Choose the Right Synonym for alert

watchful, vigilant, wide-awake, alert mean being on the lookout especially for danger or opportunity.

watchful is the least explicit term.

the watchful eye of the department supervisor

vigilant suggests intense, unremitting, wary watchfulness.

eternally vigilant in the safeguarding of democracy

wide-awake applies to watchfulness for opportunities and developments more often than dangers.

wide-awake companies latched onto the new technology

alert stresses readiness or promptness in meeting danger or in seizing opportunity.

alert traders anticipated the stock market's slide

intelligent, clever, alert, quick-witted mean mentally keen or quick.

intelligent stresses success in coping with new situations and solving problems.

an intelligent person could assemble it fast

clever implies native ability or aptness and sometimes suggests a lack of more substantial qualities.

clever with words

alert stresses quickness in perceiving and understanding.

alert to new technology

quick-witted implies promptness in finding answers in debate or in devising expedients in moments of danger or challenge.

no match for his quick-witted opponent

Examples of alert in a Sentence

Adjective

An alert guard stopped the robbers.

He was tired and had trouble staying alert while he was driving.

She wasn't mentally alert enough to answer the questions.

An alert watchdog guarded the door.

Noun

They sounded an alert when enemy planes were approaching the city.

Medical officials have put out an alert to hospitals to look out for the virus.

The government has issued a terrorism alert.

Verb

Several neighbors alerted the authorities when they noticed strangers acting suspiciously.

The governor alerted island residents that a hurricane was coming.

The teacher alerted the students that tests would be given the next day.

Recent Examples on the Web

Adjective

In February, scientists at the Coral Reef Watch program at NOAA added three new alert levels to the coral bleaching alert maps, to enable scientists to assess the new scale of underwater warming. —Rebecca Wright, CNN, 15 Apr. 2024

The alert message told everyone to evacuate Jarvis Hall, Ed Landreth Hall and Auditorium, Foster Hall and Waits Hall and to avoid the surrounding area while emergency personnel responded to the leak. —James Hartley, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 15 Apr. 2024

When trying times come your way, remember to take a posture of: Awareness: Always be alert to what is happening with your audience and the world around you. —Rob Forrester, Forbes, 29 Mar. 2024

What lasts longer—and Fanon the psychiatrist is keenly alert to this—is how permanently damaging violence is to whoever perpetrates it. —Gal Beckerman, The Atlantic, 28 Mar. 2024

Some residents voiced concerns about the alert system because not everyone was notified. —Hannah Fry, Los Angeles Times, 4 Apr. 2024

Cybersecurity software firm MalwareBytes Labs noted the same timeline and advised readers to be alert for scammers pretending to be from AT&T. —Mike Snider, USA TODAY, 30 Mar. 2024

There’s also the ongoing issue of alert fatigue; adding another tool to monitor can exacerbate the problem. —Ken Carnesi, Forbes, 27 Mar. 2024

Once the gold arrives, Custer said, the swindlers need only to persuade their targets to hand it over — a strategy that avoids the victim having to physically go into a bank to withdraw money, which can raise the suspicions of alert tellers and bankers. —Dan Morse, Washington Post, 24 Mar. 2024

Noun

Tsunami warning issued for fears of volcano collapse Officials said the volcano alert had been raised to the highest level Wednesday, and warned people to not go within roughly 4 miles of the peak due to fears part of the volcano could collapse into the water and trigger a tsunami. —Emily Deletter, USA TODAY, 18 Apr. 2024

For the latest updates, sign up for breaking news alerts. —James Hartley, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 17 Apr. 2024

The alert comes as airplane manufacturer Boeing and several U.S. airlines are under scrutiny following multiple safety incidents this year. —Mallory Moench, TIME, 17 Apr. 2024

With France on its highest level of security alert amid geopolitical turmoil in Ukraine and the Middle East, organizers behind the Paris Olympics are still going ahead with ambitious plans to host the opening ceremony along the Seine river on July 26. —Elsa Keslassy, Variety, 17 Apr. 2024

Barrett, in a further round of questions, asked about a scenario in which the Capitol had never been breached on January 6th, but the Stop the Steal rally outside nevertheless led to some sort of security alert and delay of the proceedings. —Amy Davidson Sorkin, The New Yorker, 17 Apr. 2024

Stay alert and focus on the road to avoid drifting into oncoming traffic. —Laura Daniella Sepulveda, The Arizona Republic, 16 Apr. 2024

The alert pointed officers to an area in the Back of the Yards neighborhood, according to FOX 32 Chicago. —Elizabeth Pritchett, Fox News, 14 Apr. 2024

Developers propose $150M redevelopment on 9 acres in Fort Worth’s Near Southside → Man charged with murder in Fort Worth shooting that killed teen 🚨Get free alerts when news breaks. —Harriet Ramos, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 6 Apr. 2024

Verb

The witness alerted school administrators, who contacted police. —Alec Johnson, Journal Sentinel, 19 Apr. 2024

According to code seen by 9to5Mac, 17.5 will alert iPhone users about unwanted third-party trackers, even those not facilitated by the company’s Find My network. —Kyle Barr / Gizmodo, Quartz, 18 Apr. 2024

By March 4, a detective with the Montgomery County Police Department’s threat assessment team had been alerted. —Dan Morse, Washington Post, 18 Apr. 2024

The officer alerted the detective to the time discrepancy. —Harriet Ramos, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 17 Apr. 2024

Popular on Variety Within hours, Palka alerted a CBS senior vice president of the situation. —Gene Maddaus, Variety, 17 Apr. 2024

Hitman sought over a ‘parody’ website On May 23, a source alerted agents with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives that Parkin was reportedly soliciting a murder, according to prosecutors. —Julia Marnin, Sacramento Bee, 15 Apr. 2024

Authorities have been alerted to multiple recent bomb threats targeting the TransLatin@ Coalition, an organization that provides services to transgender, gender nonconforming and intersex people, according to a police report reviewed by The Times. —Angie Orellana Hernandez, Los Angeles Times, 12 Apr. 2024

Authorities began searching for the kids that fall after JJ's grandparents alerted police of their disappearance. —Nicole Acosta, Peoplemag, 10 Apr. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Adjective

borrowed from French alerte, going back to Middle French a l'herte "on guard, on the watch," borrowed from Italian all'erta, originally in the collocation stare all'erta "to be on the watch," literally, "to be on the height" (with erta "height, hill, steep ascent," noun derivative from feminine of erto, past participle of ergere "to raise, elevate," going back to Vulgar Latin *ērgere, by syncope from Latin ērigere) — more at erect entry 1

Note: The earliest citation for the word in the Oxford English Dictionary suggests direct borrowing from Italian, or at least recognition of an Italian source: "In this place the Prince [of Orange] finding his rutters [cavalry soldiers] alert, (as the Italians say) with aduise of his valiant brother, hee sent his Trumpets to D. d' Alua …." (Sir Roger Williams, The Actions of the Lowe Countries, London, 1618, p. 27).

Noun

noun derivative of alert entry 1 (or borrowed from French alerte, derivative of alerte, adjective)

Verb

verbal derivative of alert entry 1 or alert entry 2

First Known Use

Adjective

1618, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Noun

1801, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

circa 1868, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing alert

• hyper-alert
• on the alert
• red alert
• spoiler alert

Kids Definition

alert

1 of 3 adjective

ə-ˈlərt 

1

a

: being watchful and ready to meet danger

b

: quick to understand and act

2

: active sense 3, brisk

alertly adverb

alertness noun

alert

2 of 3 noun

1

: a signal of danger

2

: the period during which an alert is in effect

alert

3 of 3 verb

: to call to a state of readiness : warn