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

But the sitting president having an active stake in certain companies has raised alarms among ethics experts and Democrats on Capitol Hill, who say the arrangement leaves the door open for corruption. —

Michael Kaplan, CBS News, 15 June 2026 That’s raising alarms at a difficult time for the cattle industry, as drought and high production costs have culled the nation’s herd to a 75-year low. —

Ilena Peng, Fortune, 13 June 2026 Portage Utilities Superintendent Tracie Marshall said her crews worked hard Thursday night, addressing alarms and other issues at the wastewater treatment plant during the storm. —

Post-Tribune, Chicago Tribune, 12 June 2026 However, other comments Flores is said to have made raised additional alarms among some parents and school officials. —

Ashley MacKin Solomon, San Diego Union-Tribune, 10 June 2026 The most recent controversy came in January, when the county paid $135,000 to settle a lawsuit that accused Kramer of improperly slashing a property’s value by millions of dollars — then retaliating against the employee who raised alarms about it. —

Nate Gartrell, Mercury News, 9 June 2026 Previous El Niño forecasts have been raising alarms globally because of the pattern's powerful influence over the world's weather, from worldwide heat to hurricanes, and a strong event could create ripple effects for months to come. —

Doyle Rice, USA Today, 8 June 2026 Past stowaway cases raise security concerns Situations like this one, while uncommon, sound alarms about lapses in aviation security, experts say. —

Sneha Dhandapani, CNN Money, 7 June 2026 Take Braden Smith or Tyler Tanner, for instance, two talented guards whose combine measurements raised alarms. —

Brady Brickner-Wood, New Yorker, 4 June 2026

Verb

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 But that's not really what alarms me, someone making money off of military advancements. —

Dana Taylor, USA Today, 11 Feb. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for alarms

Noun

Fried’s statement to the Herald comes amid warnings from a growing chorus of political leaders that Wasserman Schultz’s decision — and the state party’s silence about it — could have ripple effects across the ballot in November.

— Claire Heddles, Miami Herald, 11 June 2026
The blaze burned eastward up to the northern edge of a neighborhood in Oceanside, prompting evacuation warnings for many homes west of Douglas Drive and west of Vandegrift Boulevard, according to online Genasys mapping.

— Kristina Davis, San Diego Union-Tribune, 10 June 2026