ALARMS Synonyms: 153 Similar and Opposite Words

alarms 1 of 2

noun

variants also alarums

plural of alarm

as in warnings

the act or an instance of telling beforehand of danger or risk in a daring midnight ride Paul Revere gave the alarm that British troops were approaching

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alarms

2 of 2

verb

variants also alarums

present tense third-person singular of alarm

as in scares

to strike with fear I don't want to alarm you, but I think you should know there's a bear on your back porch

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as in concerns

to trouble the mind of; to make uneasy alarmed at the skyrocketing cost of home heating fuel

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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 alarms

Noun

Still others worry that by raising alarms about a hypothetical extinction risk, some may be seeking to direct policymaking in a way that could benefit some companies over others. — Clare Duffy, CNN Money, 24 Sep. 2026 The blaze quickly grew to two alarms and spread to an adjacent apartment, two apartments above, and the cockloft between the top floor ceiling and the roof, FDNY officials said. — Rocco Parascandola, New York Daily News, 23 Sep. 2026 Rattled, the couple returned to a London devastated by the Blitz, with air-raid alarms a daily occurrence. — Hadley Hall Meares, Vanity Fair, 21 Sep. 2026 The blaze grew to four alarms with over 200 fire and EMS personnel responding, fire officials say. — Andrew Ramos, CBS News, 20 Sep. 2026 Progressive voter engagement and racial justice groups report steep funding shortfalls and staff cuts just as midterm voting begins, raising alarms about turnout and control of Congress. — Matt Brown, Los Angeles Times, 19 Sep. 2026 The shortfalls are setting off alarms among Democratic strategists, who are betting on high turnout and robust voter protection efforts to boost the party's chances this fall. — ABC News, 19 Sep. 2026 The international community is raising alarms over the speed of the transmission. — Jessica Mekles, FOXNews.com, 19 Sep. 2026 The drawbacks of benzodiazepines Scientists began raising alarms about benzodiazepines more than 20 years ago. — Paula Span, Miami Herald, 17 Sep. 2026

Verb

That prospect alarms those in Europe, who fear FIFA could increasingly challenge their competitions for space on an already overcrowded calendar. — Clemente Lisi, Forbes.com, 29 July 2026 He becomes increasingly consumed by the otherworldly dimension, which alarms his therapist, Mary (Renate Reinsve). — Emily Blackwood, PEOPLE, 30 May 2026 The focal point of escalating concern is oldest son Jeremy (Edik Beddoes) whose increasingly erratic behavior alarms those around him, not only for his safety but others as well. — Randy Myers, Mercury News, 7 May 2026 Whether that future excites or alarms fans, the law—not nostalgia or tradition—will determine who suits up in March. — Michael McCann, Sportico.com, 18 Mar. 2026 The development of Moltbook, with AI bots forming their own social media, alarms him. — Joe Hagan, Vanity Fair, 18 Mar. 2026 When something goes wrong, alarms fire. — Robert B. Shpiner, STAT, 13 Mar. 2026 Yet the price of gas seems likely to keep rising, which alarms Republicans. — Jonathan Lemire, The Atlantic, 12 Mar. 2026 The Corps has adamantly refused to conduct sediment testing for PFAS, which alarms local scientists and environmentalists like Burdette. — Patrick Sisson, Scientific American, 9 Mar. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for alarms

Noun

The North Korean soldiers retreated after the South broadcast audio warnings and fired the shots and there were no clashes.

— ABC News, ABC News, 21 Sep. 2026
Trump is also banking on America going full throttle on AI development despite voter resistance to data centers and recent alarming safety warnings from the leading AI companies.

— Josh Boak, Fortune, 20 Sep. 2026

Definition of warnings

Noun

Such widespread wildfire smoke events have impacted US cities nearly every summer for four years, often leading to air quality alerts for more than 100 million people each time.

— Jeremy Hsu, ArsTechnica, 23 Sep. 2026
Police originally said two of the girls, ages 15 and 17, were taken to a hospital as trauma alerts, but now say two of the girls had no significant injuries while a third girl sustained more serious injuries and remains under medical care.

— Milena Malaver, Miami Herald, 22 Sep. 2026

Definition of alerts

Verb

The prospect of Sean Steur or Lewis Hall — whose contract situation Wilson refused to be drawn on, despite being asked three times — leaving is not something which frightens the hierarchy.

— Chris Waugh, New York Times, 8 Sep. 2026
Penelope, too, is asked to occupy a landscape that frightens her, not only as a neurodivergent child in a neurotypical culture, but as a child now situated in an adult world.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 21 Aug. 2026

Definition of frightens

Verb

What worries her is that such existential fears could distract from present harms the technology is already causing, such as AI deepfakes, mental health challenges and the potential for job loss.

— Clare Duffy, CNN Money, 24 Sep. 2026
Eviction laws vary by state, but Batko worries that defaulting on even a single rent payment in some states can mean losing one's housing.

— Marissa J. Lang, NPR, 23 Sep. 2026

Definition of worries

Verb

Black Palace is set in 1888 London as an emerging tabloid media terrifies the public with lurid stories of infamous serial killer Jack the Ripper.

— Stewart Clarke, Deadline, 8 Sep. 2026
What terrifies you about this moment and inspires you about this moment?

— Gustavo Arellano, Los Angeles Times, 7 Aug. 2026

Definition of terrifies

Verb

Some of the sightings claim a man wearing clothing typical of the 17th or 18th centuries, a man dressed in Confederate attire in the liquor room, a ghost of a former worker Joseph Hardesty and a female who actively disturbs visitors to her home.

— Kaitlyn Keegan, Hartford Courant, 25 Sep. 2026
That disturbs Masters, an auto mechanic who moved out of the mobile home park before the 2021 floods.

— Ren Larson, ProPublica, 2 Sep. 2026