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a·lert

alert

 
 
pronunciation:
luhrt
parts of speech:
adjective, noun, transitive verb
features:
Word Combinations (adjective, noun, verb), Word History, Word Explorer, Grammatical Patterns
part of speech: adjective
definition: keenly attentive or responsive; quick to perceive.
The alert infant held up her head and fixed her eye on the dangling toy.If the driver had not been alert, he would certainly have hit the deer.She hadn't slept well and wasn't very alert at the meeting.The dog was alert to each small sound in the woods.You should be alert to the dangers that such an undertaking poses.
 
synonyms:
attentive, keen, perceptive, ready, sharp, wide-awake
antonyms:
abstracted, dopey, faraway, inattentive, stupid
similar words:
agile, astir, awake, aware, clearheaded, guarded, knowing, lively, observant, on guard, on the ball, quick, quick-witted, responsive, swift, vigilant, watchful
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part of speech: noun
definition: a warning or a period of warning, as of severe weather or military attack.
They interrupted the television program for a severe storm alert.We stayed in the basement until the tornado alert was over.
synonyms:
alarm, signal, warning
similar words:
admonition
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part of speech: transitive verb
inflections: alerts, alerting, alerted
definition: to warn or give notice of an emergency or other impending event.
The mayor alerted the citizens that they were in danger from the hurricane.[verb + smby + (that) + clause ] The principal's office alerted the parents to the fact that their daughter was using drugs.Pain is a signal that alerts the brain to injury or illness.The electric company sends out a notice to alert you of an impending shutoff.
synonyms:
notify, warm
similar words:
alarm, inform, tell, wake, warn
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derivations: alertly (adv.), alertness (n.)
Word History
The English word alert comes from a l'erte, an early French phrase that means "on guard" or "on the watch." This French phrase came from an Italian military phrase, all'erta. Erta means "a high or raised place," such as a hilltop or tower soldiers might use to see the enemy coming from a distance. All'erta meant "standing on the high tower."
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