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
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of red alert
The White House was briefly locked down with a condition red alert, which The New York Times notes signifies a possible threat to life.
—
Jon Blistein, Rolling Stone, 27 Nov. 2025
Losing Jackson for any more games would certainly put the franchise on a red alert situation, as Cooper Rush did not spark much confidence in his starts with Jackson out.
—James Brizuela, MSNBC Newsweek, 21 Nov. 2025
On Saturday, the South and Grand’Anse regions of Haiti were both upgraded to red alerts by the National Disaster Risk Management System.
—David J. Neal, Miami Herald, 26 Oct. 2025
The art community is on red alert.
—Lionel Laurent, Twin Cities, 24 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for red alert
Jon Blistein, Rolling Stone, 27 Nov. 2025
Losing Jackson for any more games would certainly put the franchise on a red alert situation, as Cooper Rush did not spark much confidence in his starts with Jackson out.
—James Brizuela, MSNBC Newsweek, 21 Nov. 2025
On Saturday, the South and Grand’Anse regions of Haiti were both upgraded to red alerts by the National Disaster Risk Management System.
—David J. Neal, Miami Herald, 26 Oct. 2025
The art community is on red alert.
—Lionel Laurent, Twin Cities, 24 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for red alert
Recent Examples of Synonyms for red alert
Noun
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While some political observers are brushing off speculation that a deluge of ballots could allow Steyer to crawl into the top two, conservative activists are keeping a close watch.—
Phillip M. Bailey,
USA Today,
5 June 2026
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That announcement in turn coincided with the negative credit watch registered by S&P based on Paramount’s balance sheet valuation.—
Peter Bart,
Deadline,
4 June 2026
Noun
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Hong Kong icon Tony Leung has channeled brooding urban energy for the masterpieces of Wong Kar-Wai, balancing the debonair ennui of Marcello Mastroianni with the quiet watchfulness of Montgomery Clift.—
Ryan Lattanzio,
IndieWire,
8 May 2026
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In nine short, potent chapters, Beckerman lays out the essential traits of an effective dissident — loyalty, recklessness and watchfulness, among them — to illustrate how communities of resistance are built from the ground up.—
Marc Weingarten,
Los Angeles Times,
2 May 2026
Noun
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Topics range from managing a property to applying fire science, addressing topography concerns and using evacuation readiness tools such as phone alerts, Dioli said.—
Julie Gallant,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
9 June 2026
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Conserving battery life during an outage, so devices remain available for emergency alerts and updates.—
Sacbee.com,
Sacbee.com,
9 June 2026
Noun
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Activates the same alertness pathway as outdoor daylight.—
Allison Palmer
Updated June 4,
Sacbee.com,
4 June 2026
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Adrenaline and noradrenaline, hormones which increase alertness and reaction speed, are also released, but there is a fine balance between readiness and unreadiness.—
Charlotte Harpur,
New York Times,
3 June 2026
Noun
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District, police urge vigilance Police urged anyone with concerns about interactions with Neu to contact the Wylie Police Department.—
Doug Myers,
CBS News,
4 June 2026
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Kilian and other Tahoe-area officials said inspectors like at Meyers are an important line of defense, but said vigilance begins aboard the watercraft by ensuring that boat and gear are clean, drained and dry before moving from one body of water to another.—
Darrell Smith,
Sacbee.com,
3 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Red alert.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/red%20alert. Accessed 10 Jun. 2026.
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