1
as in signal
an object intended to give public notice or warning the tocsin rang out, warning us of the approaching tornado

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of tocsin Singer Building housed a sewing-machine company, but its slender campanile might have served to ring tocsins or watch for approaching armies. Justin Davidson, Curbed, 3 Aug. 2023 The Foundation for Defense of Democracies, Hudson Institute, and AEI have all been sounding the tocsin about Iran for decades. Jacob Heilbrunn, The New Republic, 23 Jan. 2020
Recent Examples of Synonyms for tocsin
Noun
  • Economists have ramped up calls for Beijing to unleash fiscal support as fresh data signals mounting economic strains.
    Anniek Bao, CNBC, 10 Sep. 2025
  • For families across the country, the hope is that New Mexico isn’t an outlier, but a signal of what’s possible when childcare is treated as both an economic driver and a family necessity.
    Jennifer Jay Palumbo, Forbes.com, 10 Sep. 2025
Noun
  • Graphic videos of both atrocities spread quickly and widely online this week, appearing in people's social media feeds, often with little-to-no warning.
    Charles Trepany, USA Today, 12 Sep. 2025
  • Qatar also boasts one of the most advanced early warning radar systems in the region, coupled with Patriot air defense missile system.
    Oren Liebermann, CNN Money, 11 Sep. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Tocsin.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tocsin. Accessed 15 Sep. 2025.

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