# alert

Pronunciation: say "uh-LURT" US /əˈlɝt/, UK /əˈlɜːt/

## Adjective

1. Watchful and fully awake, ready to notice danger and respond quickly.
   - Simple: Watching carefully and ready to act if something happens.
   - _The nurse remained alert through her entire double shift, catching every change in the patient._
   - _Soldiers on watch must stay alert for the smallest movement in the dark._

## Verb

2. To warn someone of a danger or problem so they can prepare or respond.
   - Simple: To warn someone about a danger or a problem.
   - _Neighbors rushed to alert the family about the rising floodwaters._
   - _A flashing light alerted the operator to the equipment failure._

## Noun

3. A warning signal or alarm that calls for attention or action.
   - Simple: A warning sound or message that tells people about danger.
   - _The weather service issued an alert as the storm approached._
   - _Sirens sounded the alert across the valley._
4. A notification that signals greater importance or urgency than an advisory.
   - Simple: A message that warns about something more serious than a normal notice.
   - _Emergency services issued an alert urging residents to gather supplies._
   - _Each alert appears above routine messages at the top of the screen._
5. A condition of military readiness maintained in preparation for possible combat.
   - Simple: A state of being ready in case fighting starts.
   - _The squadron was placed on full alert after the border incident._
   - _Command lifted the alert once the threat had passed._
6. A control character that causes a device to produce an audible signal, equivalent to the bell character.
   - Simple: A special character that makes a computer beep.
   - _Printing an alert causes the terminal to beep instead of showing a visible mark._
   - _The old console answered every alert with a short electronic chirp._

## Adjective

7. Brisk and nimble in movement; quick and light on one's feet. *(obsolete)*
   - Simple: Quick and lively in the way you move.

## Origin

**Meanings 1, 3–7** — From French alerte ('alert'), from the phrase à l'erte ('on the watch'), which came from Italian all'erta ('to the height'), from erta ('lookout, tower').
**Meaning 2** — Formed within English by conversion from the adjective 'alert'; compare French alerter.

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/alert (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).