red alert

noun

Definition of red alertnext
as in watch
the state of being constantly attentive and responsive to signs of opportunity, activity, or danger the paparazzi were on red alert for sightings of the hot new Hollywood couple

Synonyms & Similar Words

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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 red alert Italy’s Health Ministry placed all 27 cities monitored under its national heat surveillance system on red alert Thursday — the first time this year the entire network has been under the highest warning level simultaneously. — ABC News, 6 Aug. 2026 Sunday’s stage through the Massif Central was won by Mathieu van der Poel, out-sprinting a small breakaway group, having been shortened by 30km due to a ‘red alert’ heatwave in the region. — Jacob Whitehead, New York Times, 13 July 2026 The center on Saturday also issued the first red alert for rainstorms of the year, according to state broadcaster CCTV. — Los Angeles Times, 11 July 2026 Three-quarters of France, encompassing tens of millions of people, was put under a red alert for extreme heat on Thursday and Friday as the mercury topped 40 C (104 F) in some locations, including in Paris. — Kirsten Grieshaber, Fortune, 27 June 2026 See All Example Sentences for red alert
Recent Examples of Synonyms for red alert
  1. watch
  2. watchfulness
  3. alert
  4. alertness
  5. vigilance
Noun
  • There is no additional preseason game check added because one player takes 50 snaps while a starter watches from the sideline.
    — Jason Lloyd, New York Times, 21 Aug. 2026
  • The watch is for Northern Craven, Southern Craven and Inland Onslow as well as Pitt, Greene, Beaufort, Duplin, Lenoir, Jones and Pamlico counties.
    — NC Weather Bot, Charlotte Observer, 21 Aug. 2026
Definition of watch
Noun
  • For now, the consensus among Wall Street’s economists is less alarm than watchfulness.
    — Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 7 Aug. 2026
  • But the book’s ruminative watchfulness is unsuccessfully conjugated in this overly sedate play with music, which has the feel of a song cycle, though sung by the fine cast with gorgeous, lonely sorrow.
    — Brian Seibert, New Yorker, 19 June 2026
Definition of watchfulness
Noun
  • Already, thousands of users have downloaded the iPhone app, with some eagerly submitting feedback that has helped improve key functionality, including the ability to detect AI glasses and receive alerts when the app is closed.
    — Ashley Belanger, ArsTechnica, 21 Aug. 2026
  • There was one element of the patient’s history that had kept the doctors on high alert.
    — Eli Cahan, Rolling Stone, 21 Aug. 2026
Definition of alert
Noun
  • During the campaign, candidates are in a state of constant alertness.
    — Max Taves, Mercury News, 13 Aug. 2026
  • As evening arrives, the body releases melatonin to signal rest while cortisol, the alertness hormone, drops.
    — Samantha Agate, Miami Herald, 8 Aug. 2026
Definition of alertness
Noun
  • Nurses form the essential backbone of post-neurosurgery ICU care, providing continuous vigilance and skilled bedside assessment after complex spine and cranial procedures.
    — Richard Menger MD MPA, Forbes.com, 15 Aug. 2026
  • Officials across the islands are opening shelters, canceling events and urging vigilance as Lala’s impacts spread toward Maui, Oahu and Kauai, a region still scarred by recent floods.
    — Jennifer Sinco Kelleher, Los Angeles Times, 15 Aug. 2026
Definition of vigilance

Browse Nearby Words

redacts
red alert
red-blooded
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Cite this Entry

“Red alert.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/red%20alert. Accessed 22 Aug. 2026.

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