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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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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

The drawbacks of benzodiazepines Scientists began raising alarms about benzodiazepines more than 20 years ago. — Paula Span, Miami Herald, 17 Sep. 2026 The remarks came as tech industry leaders, including Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei and OpenAI's Sam Altman, have sounded alarms about the major risks of rapidly advancing AI models and called for a slowdown in the technology's development. — Kevin Breuninger, CNBC, 16 Sep. 2026 Because of that, local historic preservationists have raised alarms. — Ashley MacKin Solomon, San Diego Union-Tribune, 15 Sep. 2026 The loudest alarms back then came from outsiders — misfit investors like Michael Burry and academics like Raghuram Rajan — who got plenty of grief for their candor. — Liz Hoffman, semafor.com, 15 Sep. 2026 Nobody on the offensive side of the ball for the Broncos sounded alarms after the game. — Nick Kosmider, New York Times, 15 Sep. 2026 As previously reported by the Daily News, non-emergency vehicles in the city’s municipal fleet are slated to get intelligent speed governors and pedestrian alarms. — Evan Simko-Bednarski, New York Daily News, 15 Sep. 2026 Du-Comm told CBS News Chicago the pair of alarms were not related. — Marie Saavedra, CBS News, 15 Sep. 2026 This matters to the global economy The influences of El Niño should raise global alarms for economies as well. — Steven Paton, The Conversation, 10 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 actions come after a series of warnings by AI experts about the technologies' capabilities and the July 2026 cyberattack by OpenAI models on the AI company Hugging Face.

— Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 15 Sep. 2026
For years, warnings about artificial intelligence and cybersecurity have focused on corporate networks and government systems.

— Pawan Jain, The Conversation, 14 Sep. 2026

Definition of warnings

Verb

Aero Plantation’s roads are privately owned and maintained by the neighborhood, a distinction residents cited in explaining why outside traffic concerns them.

— Théoden Janes, Charlotte Observer, 17 Sep. 2026
Florida counsel must analyze how that threshold operates when the allegation concerns injury severity rather than collision causation, under the statute and the controlling seat belt decisions.

— Kaitlyn Gomez, Miami Herald, 15 Sep. 2026

Definition of concerns

Noun

Control centres in Seoul and Daejeon cover more than 5,000 people under electronic monitoring, and handle 19,000 alerts a day, said The Guardian.

— Will Barker, TheWeek, 16 Sep. 2026
Jason’s view On September 15, Saudi Arabia issued alerts for Mecca, Jeddah, and Taif.

— Jason D. Greenblatt, semafor.com, 16 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

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

That disturbs Masters, an auto mechanic who moved out of the mobile home park before the 2021 floods.

— Ren Larson, ProPublica, 2 Sep. 2026
Traffic between somebody else's router and somebody else's laptop, say in a random coffee shop or an airport, can provide the radio field that your body disturbs to create your specific signature.

— New Atlas, New Atlas, 26 Aug. 2026