Alert has 11 different meanings across 4 categories:
Noun · Verb · Adjective · Proper Noun
an automatic signal (usually a sound) warning of danger
"The loud alarm blared across the stadium, serving as an urgent alert to evacuate the building immediately due to smoke detected on the upper floor."
An alarm.
"The fire alarm sounded, and everyone immediately became alert to evacuate the building."
In plain English: An alert is a warning message sent to tell people about something dangerous or important that needs quick attention.
"The security guard checked every alert before allowing anyone into the building."
Usage: Use "alert" as a noun to refer to an official warning or notification about a specific danger, such as a weather alert. It describes the message itself rather than the state of being watchful, which requires the adjective form.
To give warning to.
"The security guard alerted everyone to evacuate immediately after spotting smoke near the exit."
In plain English: To alert someone means to warn them about something important so they can pay attention.
"Please alert the teacher if you see someone falling in the hallway."
Usage: Use alert as a verb when you warn someone about an immediate danger or threat, such as alerting neighbors to a fire. It requires a direct object to specify who receives the warning.
Attentive; awake; on guard.
"The security guard remained alert to any suspicious movement near the gate after dark."
In plain English: Alert means being awake and ready to notice anything important happening around you.
"The security guard remained alert to any suspicious activity near the building entrance."
Usage: Use alert as an adjective to describe someone who is wide-awake and ready to notice things happening around them. It often implies a state of high attention or readiness for action rather than just being physically awake.
A community in the Qikiqtaaluk Region, Nunavut, Canada; the northernmost permanently inhabited place in the world.
"During our Arctic research trip, we made a brief stop at Alert to collect samples before continuing northward."
The word alert entered English from the French phrase à l'erte, which literally means "on the watch." This expression originally came from Italian, where it referred to being positioned at a lookout tower.