Definitions
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
- adj. Vigilantly attentive; watchful: alert to danger; an alert bank guard. See Synonyms at aware.
- adj. Mentally responsive and perceptive; quick.
- adj. Brisk or lively in action: the bird's alert hopping from branch to branch.
- n. A signal that warns of attack or danger: Sirens sounded the alert for an air raid.
- n. A condition or period of heightened watchfulness or preparation for action: Nuclear-armed bombers were put on alert during the crisis.
- v. To notify of approaching danger or action; warn: a flashing red light that alerted motorists to trouble ahead.
- idiom. on the alert Watchful and prepared for danger, emergency, or opportunity: bird watchers on the alert for a rare species.
Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia
- Active in vigilance; watchful; vigilantly attentive.
- Moving with celerity; brisk; active; nimble: as, “an alert young fellow,” Addison, Spectator, No. 403. Synonyms Heedful, wary.
- Lively, agile, quick, prompt, ready, spry.
- n. An attitude of vigilance; watch; guard: especially in the phrase on or upon the alert, upon the watch; on the lookout; guarding against surprise or danger: as, “the readiness of one on the alert,” Dickens.
Wiktionary
- adj. Attentive; awake; on-guard.
- n. An alarm.
- n. A notification of higher importance than an advisory.
- v. To give warning to.
GNU Webster's 1913
- adj. Watchful; vigilant; active in vigilance.
- adj. Brisk; nimble; moving with celerity.
- n. (Mil.) An alarm from a real or threatened attack; a sudden attack; also, a bugle sound to give warning.
WordNet 3.0
- adj. engaged in or accustomed to close observation
- adj. mentally perceptive and responsive
- v. warn or arouse to a sense of danger or call to a state of preparedness
- adj. quick and energetic
- n. a warning serves to make you more alert to danger
- n. condition of heightened watchfulness or preparation for action
- n. an automatic signal (usually a sound) warning of danger
Etymologies
- From French alerte ("alert"), from the phrase à l'erte ("on the watch"), from Italian all'erta ("to the height"), from erta ("lookout, tower"). (Wiktionary)
- French alerte, from Italian all' erta, on the lookout : alla, to the, on the (from Latin ad illam, to that : ad, to; see ad- + illam, feminine accusative sing. of ille, that, the. (American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition)
Examples
“However, in this alert is an unusual warning about the state of Durango:”
“A travel "alert" is less serious than a full "travel warning," which could have big implications.”
The Huffington Post: Terror Warning In Europe? U.S. Weighs Travel Alert For Tourists Abroad
“An e-mail alert from the technical office went out to all House staff members notifying them of the problem.”
“While he said that the travel alert is the "lowest level of warning that the State Department issues," Americans abroad should be mindful of their surroundings.”
The Huffington Post: Michael Chertoff Speaks To 'GMA' On What The Europe Travel Alert Means (VIDEO)
“Why is it big news now that they might actually help you remain alert?”
The New Yorker on the underground world of “neuroenhancing” drugs. - Boing Boing
“Yet I remain alert to the potential dangers of trying to figure out what a poet intended.”
“HAMBURG, Germany — The Islamic militant whose disclosures under U.S. interrogation in Afghanistan triggered Europe's terror alert is an old friend of a man convicted in the 9/11 attacks and, as the strikes were being planned, frequented the same mosque where the Hamburg-based plotters often met, officials say.”
The Huffington Post: Europe Terror Alert Has Link To 9/11 Militant
“And being relaxedly alert is extremely important for learning to take place, methinks.”
“In the aftermath of the arrest of terrorist suspect Farooque Ahmed and the revelation of an alleged plot to bomb multiple Metro stations, officials underscored the need for customers to remain alert to any suspicious activity, stressing that a single observation could prove essential.”
The Washington Post: Metro calls for rider vigilance in vulnerable system
“An World Health Organization official announced the spread of the plague in the Libyan city of Tobruk on the Mediterranean coast after receiving an alert from the Libyan authorities.”
Global Voices in English » Egypt: Between the Swine Flu and Approaching Plague
Lists
These user-created lists contain the word ‘alert’.
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Linda(G4)
Accurate, address, afford, alert, analyze, ancestor, annual, apparent, arena, arrest, ascend, assist and 126 more...
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EU Buzz - ALL words and expressions
A combined list of
1. EU Buzz - single words
2. EU Buzz - collocations
3. EU Buzz - the 100 most active
collocation constituentsabsorption capacity, absorption rate, acceding country, accession candidate, accession countries, accession country, accession criteria, accession cycle, accession negotia..., accession partner..., accession priorities, accession treaty and 2650 more...
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Reds
crimson, blood, scarlet, rott, rojo, brick, fire engine, vermilion, carmine, burgundy, amaranth, alizarin and 115 more...
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bbc uk china vocab.
conservationists, estimate, threats, infertility, eating away at, endangered, furry, panel, in trouble, gongs, triumphed, caps and 1007 more...
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When a door is ajar
Words with the prefix "a"
ajar, asleep, akin, ablaze, afoot, abed, aground, aback, afloat, alive, abaft, abloom and 91 more...
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EN-HU - important words for a HU inte...
Words only (I left out the expressions) from Geza Kerenyi's EN-HU interpreters' dictionary. Most of them pose some difficulty when interpreted between HU and EN in either or both directions.
abalone, abrasive, abstractionist, abstruse, abysmal, academia, accessibility, accessible, acclimate, accolade, accompanist, achiever and 1469 more...
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Adjectives
sagacious, average, angry, mad, crazy, giant, ugly, pretty, happy, sad, lonely, solitary and 119 more...
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Grade 4
Accurate, address, afford, alert, analyze, ancrstor, ancestor, annual, apparent, appropriate, arena, arrest and 29 more...
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Here and Now
Words related to the mental state of "being in the present in the moment".
improvisation, nolens volens, extempore, autoschediastic, in medias res, willy-nilly, egersis, immanence, nunc pro tunc, spontaneity, observant, concentration and 55 more...
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Insurance Data-Related words
claimant, delete, register, invoice, spreadsheet, alert, electronic, cartridge, password, dashboard, certificate, presentation and 90 more...
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feeling words
twitterpated, loquacious, ambiguous, pensive, sluggish, anxious, adventurous, curious, abandoned, absent-minded, abrasive, abused and 653 more...
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Expressions
(Facial)
pained, pitiful, reproachful, annoyed, dismissive, excited, eager, spiteful, contemptuous, passive, calm, nervous and 155 more...
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Joey Grade 4
address, afford, alert, analyze, ancestor, accurate, annual, apparent
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word list
abandon, ache, augment, avow, atone, approbate, apprehend, abut, apostatize, abase, abash, abate and 155 more...
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my dictionary
able, abnormally, abroad, absent, abstract, acceptable, acceptance, access, accessible, accession, according to, account and 4551 more...
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_mark's keywords ™
words that describe me or that i am focusing on.
( personal list )
more:
http://www.wordnik.com/lists/personas--2<...satirical, dark, enigmatic, androgyny, appreciative, opinionated, inquisitive, sensitive, nonchalant, acerbic, scientific, circumspective and 219 more...
Tweets
Looking for tweets for alert.
sionnach Should I also be amoral because the world needs more morals? Mar 25, 2009
martagreen Be alert. The world needs more lerts. Mar 24, 2009
bilby "Communities in Healesville, Chum Creek, Badger Creek, Steels Creek, Dixons Creek, Yarra Glen, Toolangi and Castello are being advised to remain alert to fire activity."
- CFA urges vigilance despite 'calming' threat, abc.net.au, 11 Feb 2009.
Correction: although this quote says Castello, the hamlet's name is Castella. I learned this in high school when I was stopping people in the street to do a survey of their shopping habits. Feb 11, 2009