alarm.

1. Fearful concern produced by recognizing a possible immediate danger.

2. A signal or device that warns of danger or calls attention at a set time.

3. To cause someone to feel fearful concern about a possible danger.

Use it for

Words that belong together

• with alarm
• growing alarm
• cause alarm

On the page

She watched the water climb the stairwell with alarm.

His casual mention of a gas leak caused understandable alarm.

By morning, their alarm had become a coordinated search.

Usage notes

Primary category: fear. Can prompt organized action rather than panic. Also names a warning device or signal; distinguish the emotional sense. Usually uncountable in this sense. Count plural: alarms. Derived family (not additional inflections or records): alarmist; alarmism.