alert 1 of 3

alert

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verb

as in to warn
to give notice to beforehand especially of danger or risk alerted us to the possibility that the roads would be flooded and we might have to take a detour

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

alert

3 of 3

adjective

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2
3
as in intelligent
having or showing quickness of mind an alert and well-trained sheep dog who can handle difficult situations

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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Synonym Chooser

How does the adjective alert contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of alert are vigilant, watchful, and wide-awake. While all these words mean "being on the lookout especially for danger or opportunity," alert stresses readiness or promptness in meeting danger or in seizing opportunity.

alert traders anticipated the stock market's slide

When can vigilant be used instead of alert?

The synonyms vigilant and alert are sometimes interchangeable, but vigilant suggests intense, unremitting, wary watchfulness.

eternally vigilant in the safeguarding of democracy

When might watchful be a better fit than alert?

In some situations, the words watchful and alert are roughly equivalent. However, watchful is the least explicit term.

the watchful eye of the department supervisor

When could wide-awake be used to replace alert?

The words wide-awake and alert can be used in similar contexts, but wide-awake applies to watchfulness for opportunities and developments more often than dangers.

wide-awake companies latched onto the new technology

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 alert
Noun
The American Immigration Lawyers Assn. issued a practice alert this month warning about the termination notices. Andrea Castillo, Los Angeles Times, 23 Apr. 2025 Jim waits 45 minutes after sending a trade alert before buying or selling a stock in his charitable trust's portfolio. Matthew J. Belvedere, CNBC, 23 Apr. 2025
Verb
By alerting victims to a suspicious outgoing payment, which is purported to be a bank fraud security alert, the user is prompted to call a support telephone number as a matter of some urgency. Davey Winder, Forbes.com, 22 Apr. 2025 And conversations with priests from other parishes have alerted him to concern about it becoming known as a space that is primarily for immigrants. Erika Page, Christian Science Monitor, 22 Apr. 2025
Adjective
Traditional data pipeline management burdens IT professionals with reactive tasks and showers them with alert storms that interfere with their work. Serge Lucio, Forbes.com, 16 Apr. 2025 The National Park Service recommends keeping the following things in mind when exploring the backcountry: Be alert and aware of your surroundings and pay attention to signs. Fernando Cervantes Jr., USA Today, 15 Apr. 2025 See All Example Sentences for alert
Recent Examples of Synonyms for alert
Noun
  • Mysterious folders have appeared on PCs along with dire warnings.
    Zak Doffman, Forbes.com, 15 Apr. 2025
  • Strong winds are occurring but are not so strong as to warrant a High wind warning.
    NC Weather Bot, Charlotte Observer, 15 Apr. 2025
Verb
  • When autoworkers were organizing at Volkswagen and Mercedes plants in Tennessee and Alabama in June 2024, the White House warned Germany that German companies should not interfere with unionization votes in the United States.
    Jennifer M. Harris, Foreign Affairs, 22 Apr. 2025
  • The jump could augur a potential wave of bankruptcy filings as consumers start to buckle under a record level of debt and as tariffs fuel inflation, the company warned in a report this week.
    Alain Sherter, CBS News, 22 Apr. 2025
Adjective
  • The light from screens can trick your brain into staying awake.
    Lindsay Curtis, Health, 24 Apr. 2025
  • Bellflower adds a second adult in school counselor Bailey Gallagher (Molly Griggs), a character the audience can enjoy seeing slowly awake to the villain hiding in their midst.
    Chris Jones, Chicago Tribune, 15 Apr. 2025
Adjective
  • At times, that can mean there’s reason to be optimistic or perhaps to be cautious about a hot start.
    Sahadev Sharma, New York Times, 11 Apr. 2025
  • Collins said Republicans also need to be cautious about slashing the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, which provides food benefits to low-income families, another budget-cutting target identified by fiscal conservatives.
    Alexander Bolton, The Hill, 11 Apr. 2025
Adjective
  • Yes, Love Hotel might be Bravo’s most emotionally intelligent experiment yet.
    Shelby Stewart, Essence, 22 Apr. 2025
  • Talos, Pandora and other artificially intelligent entities had already set the stage for humans to explore this idea.
    Sofia Giannuzzi, Smithsonian Magazine, 22 Apr. 2025
Adjective
  • Telegraphed data arrived in the morning, and FitzRoy made quick extrapolations from his knowledge of storm theories, sending forecasts an hour later.
    Danny Robb, JSTOR Daily, 14 Apr. 2025
  • Polite start, quick stall Even after Trump was elected on the promise of high tariffs, relations with Beijing got off to a polite start.
    Beijing and Washington Bureaus, USA Today, 14 Apr. 2025
Noun
  • Many of them have been living and working in South Florida after being sponsored by relatives to come to the United States to apply for asylum or other protections instead of trying to get in through the U.S.-Mexico border, where a migrant crisis erupted during the Biden administration’s watch.
    Jay Weaver, Miami Herald, 15 Apr. 2025
  • Under Griffin’s watch, the Pelicans acquired Trey Murphy in the first round of the 2021 NBA Draft and followed that up by using first-round picks on Dyson Daniels in 2022, Jordan Hawkins in 2023 and Yves Missi in 2024.
    William Guillory, New York Times, 14 Apr. 2025
Adjective
  • The world must remain vigilant to ensure this powerful new tool isn't silenced.
    Ingmar Rentzhog, Forbes.com, 21 Apr. 2025
  • Tonight: Be diplomatic. VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22) ★★★★ Parents should be vigilant today, because this is an accident-prone day for your kids.
    Georgia Nicols, Denver Post, 20 Apr. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Alert.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/alert. Accessed 30 Apr. 2025.

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