alarms 1 of 2

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

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alarms

2 of 2

verb

variants also alarums
present tense third-person singular of alarm
1
2

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
More than 200 fire and EMS personnel responded to the fire that escalated to four alarms. Alexa Herrera, CBS News, 20 Aug. 2026 Beyond noise and blanket fixes, couples with mismatched schedules can try staggered bedtimes and silent alarms. Ryan Brennan, Charlotte Observer, 20 Aug. 2026 The correspondence reveals Iranian authorities influencing deportation lists, last-minute passenger changes and at least one mistaken removal, raising alarms about asylum seekers, due process and returns to a repressive regime. Safiyah Riddle, Los Angeles Times, 20 Aug. 2026 Backpacks are packed, alarms are set and lunchboxes are back in rotation. Ashley Lynch, Miami Herald, 19 Aug. 2026 Officials said the alarms went off during a test of the emergency systems. Deanese Williams-Harris, Chicago Tribune, 18 Aug. 2026 Parents, educators and child development experts have been sounding alarms over children's use of AI chatbots, which have been blamed for facilitating cheating on schoolwork and even suicide. ABC News, 18 Aug. 2026 The fact that OpenAI did not seem to know its agents had constructed a messaging board and collaborated on hacking another company raised alarms after the incident. Emily Forlini, Fortune, 18 Aug. 2026 By month three, 28 predictive alarms had fired across the fleet. Guilherme Studart, Forbes.com, 18 Aug. 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
  • Flood warnings are still active around the White River and Wabash River, due to past rain.
    John Tufts, IndyStar, 19 Aug. 2026
  • Residents fled in panic as tsunami warnings were issued and later lifted.
    ABC News, ABC News, 19 Aug. 2026
Verb
  • The exposure obviously scares him, but not enough to stop him from filming his next scene, where he’s been tasked with breaking in newcomer Cami Soul.
    Louis Peitzman, Vulture, 13 Aug. 2026
  • Don’t be afraid to volunteer for a responsibility that scares you a little.
    Valerie Mesa, PEOPLE, 29 July 2026
Verb
  • Urgent Matter reports that the dispute concerns a preservation easement on the nineteen-story building, Frank Lloyd Wright‘s only skyscraper, completed in 1956, and located forty-five miles north of Tulsa.
    News Desk, Artforum, 19 Aug. 2026
  • The three-level promoter structure applies regardless of whether the change concerns a new product, new service, or internal process innovation.
    IEEE Spectrum, IEEE Spectrum, 17 Aug. 2026
Noun
  • On Tuesday, evacuation orders for about 3,380 homes were downgraded to alerts — meaning those people could for now remain at their homes — after about 1,200 orders had already been lifted by late Monday.
    ABC News, ABC News, 18 Aug. 2026
  • By month four, those 28 alerts had been distilled into four clear maintenance priorities.
    Guilherme Studart, Forbes.com, 18 Aug. 2026
Verb
  • And for members who have a long history, who are used to running on that long history, that frightens them.
    ABC News, ABC News, 16 Aug. 2026
  • Diego Gomez is a stop-gap alternative, but Mitoma remains a key figure who frightens opposing defences with his dribbling speed and influential record in the top flight.
    Chris Weatherspoon, New York Times, 14 Aug. 2026
Verb
  • Unemployment worries The jobs picture may be worse than official figures suggest.
    Anniek Bao,Evelyn Cheng, CNBC, 17 Aug. 2026
  • While her daughter has not experienced lasting health effects, VandenBerg worries about what remains unknown.
    Christiana Freitag, Chicago Tribune, 16 Aug. 2026
Verb
  • What terrifies you about this moment and inspires you about this moment?
    Gustavo Arellano, Los Angeles Times, 7 Aug. 2026
  • That prospect terrifies Hamid, the relief worker who survived the drone strike.
    Mat Nashed, Christian Science Monitor, 21 July 2026
Verb
  • Tilling or plowing in the summer disturbs the soil's delicate ecosystem and exposes moist soil to rapid water loss.
    Mary Marlowe Leverette, Southern Living, 24 June 2026
  • The pier in Michigan City’s Washington Park disturbs the natural flow of sand along the lakeshore, creating new land east of the pier but starving beaches to the west, an erosion problem repeated by other manmade structures that jut out into Lake Michigan.
    Doug Ross, Chicago Tribune, 15 June 2026

Cite this Entry

“Alarms.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/alarms. Accessed 22 Aug. 2026.

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