variants
also alarums
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
Relevance
variants
also alarums
1
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in concerns
to trouble the mind of; to make uneasy
alarmed at the skyrocketing cost of home heating fuel
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
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Recent Examples of alarms
CBS News, 12 Jan. 2026
Construction industry leaders have been ringing alarms about tariffs leading to higher construction costs for months.
—Kyung Lah, CNN Money, 8 Jan. 2026
Additional crew members then rush in as a baby cries in the background, and alarms on medical equipment begin to sound.
—Christopher Rudolph, PEOPLE, 8 Jan. 2026
Wide receiver Keon Coleman, who apparently doesn’t know how to use the app that sets alarms, has been benched by McDermott for three games and for the first series of another game.
—Dan Pompei, New York Times, 7 Jan. 2026
Silent strobe rescue signal Unlike standard alarms, Rescue Retriever does not emit sound.
—Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 7 Jan. 2026
When opened, the exterior door to the box locks automatically and silent alarms are triggered to alert emergency responders that a child was placed inside.
—Julianna Duennes Russ, Austin American Statesman, 7 Jan. 2026
The massive night for Democrats raised alarms among Republicans, who rode concerns about the economy to victory in 2024 and may be on the other side of that dynamic in 2026.
—Sylvan Lane, The Hill, 7 Nov. 2025
Republicans argue that neutrality was compromised years earlier, and by the very officials raising alarms today.
—Kaelan Deese, The Washington Examiner, 6 Nov. 2025
Eva Roytburg, Fortune, 20 Oct. 2025
While Cherry is more versed at keeping her rage simmering just below the surface, Laura struggles to hide her anguish and disgust, which alarms those closest to her.
—Aramide Tinubu, Variety, 10 Sep. 2025
But the administration’s approach alarms other Jewish groups and erstwhile academic allies in the fight against campus antisemitism.
—Peter Elkind, ProPublica, 27 Aug. 2025
Noun
No smoke alarms were active at the time of the fire.
—CBS News, 12 Jan. 2026
Construction industry leaders have been ringing alarms about tariffs leading to higher construction costs for months.
—Kyung Lah, CNN Money, 8 Jan. 2026
Additional crew members then rush in as a baby cries in the background, and alarms on medical equipment begin to sound.
—Christopher Rudolph, PEOPLE, 8 Jan. 2026
Wide receiver Keon Coleman, who apparently doesn’t know how to use the app that sets alarms, has been benched by McDermott for three games and for the first series of another game.
—Dan Pompei, New York Times, 7 Jan. 2026
Silent strobe rescue signal Unlike standard alarms, Rescue Retriever does not emit sound.
—Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 7 Jan. 2026
When opened, the exterior door to the box locks automatically and silent alarms are triggered to alert emergency responders that a child was placed inside.
—Julianna Duennes Russ, Austin American Statesman, 7 Jan. 2026
The massive night for Democrats raised alarms among Republicans, who rode concerns about the economy to victory in 2024 and may be on the other side of that dynamic in 2026.
—Sylvan Lane, The Hill, 7 Nov. 2025
Republicans argue that neutrality was compromised years earlier, and by the very officials raising alarms today.
—Kaelan Deese, The Washington Examiner, 6 Nov. 2025
Verb
But what alarms him most is the silence from the business community.
—Eva Roytburg, Fortune, 20 Oct. 2025
While Cherry is more versed at keeping her rage simmering just below the surface, Laura struggles to hide her anguish and disgust, which alarms those closest to her.
—Aramide Tinubu, Variety, 10 Sep. 2025
But the administration’s approach alarms other Jewish groups and erstwhile academic allies in the fight against campus antisemitism.
—Peter Elkind, ProPublica, 27 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for alarms
Noun
-
Iran’s crackdown on nationwide protests continued Sunday, with reports of mass killings as demonstrations spread across the country amid warnings of drone surveillance.—
Emma Bussey,
FOXNews.com,
12 Jan. 2026
-
Sourcing & Methodology This article was generated by software that analyzes National Weather Service warnings and advisories and creates an article based on templates created by humans.—
Southern California Weather Report,
Daily News,
12 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
What scares those in the world of pediatrics, though, is imagining how the new schedule could play out over time.—
Isabella Cueto,
STAT,
6 Jan. 2026
-
What's the thing that scares me the most?—
NBC news,
NBC news,
28 Dec. 2025
Verb
-
The parties believe the case, which concerns CEQA requirements at the community plan level, creates more legal ambiguity for municipalities and poses a statewide threat to housing development.—
Jennifer Van Grove,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
5 Jan. 2026
-
My question concerns the e-card version of this.—
Judith Martin,
Mercury News,
30 Dec. 2025
Noun
-
An analysis by the Police Department from 2015 found that about 70% of ShotSpotter alerts in the coverage area were not accompanied by a 911 call, meaning officers were often responding to gunfire incidents that residents did not report, Becchina said.—
Ben Wheeler,
Kansas City Star,
12 Jan. 2026
-
The Los Angeles Police Department issued several alerts of street closures due to the march.—
Michael Loria,
USA Today,
11 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Baker says what frightens her most is whether younger generations will ever be able to step off that wheel — to build generational wealth through homeownership.—
Elizabeth Prann,
The Hill,
10 Nov. 2025
-
Within my book, one of the things that frightens me most is the fact that with censorship, there’s often not a clear red line, right?—
Fiction Non Fiction
October 2,
Literary Hub,
2 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Which is another thing that worries him.—
Joel Stein,
HollywoodReporter,
8 Jan. 2026
-
Stewart worries that the listings risk running afoul of copyright on product photos, or of agreements with her own suppliers — themselves mostly independent brands — that prohibit reselling products on Amazon.—
Bloomberg,
Mercury News,
7 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
That terrifies me to try to adapt something.—
Mike Fleming Jr,
Deadline,
17 Nov. 2025
-
When scientists are asked which potential climate impact terrifies them most, the collapse of the AMOC is often top of the list.—
Laura Paddison,
CNN Money,
15 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
Another possibility is that there is a relic magnetic field that exists between galaxies which remains from the early universe and disturbs low-energy gamma-rays.—
Robert Lea,
Space.com,
5 Nov. 2025
-
The water is perfectly clear — until someone brushes the side of the cave or disturbs the soft bottom, sending fine silt particles billowing into the beam of a headlamp.—
Jennifer Walker,
CNN Money,
18 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Alarms.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/alarms. Accessed 13 Jan. 2026.
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