alert
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Related to alerting: alerting service
alert the public
To bring something to the attention of the public at large, especially as a warning of some kind. The purpose of her video was to alert the public to the risks of eating too much sugar. We want to alert the public that the business will be moving to a new location at the end of the month.
be on full alert
To be very attentive and ready to take action. This term is often applied to soldiers. We're safe here—the soldiers patrolling the border are on full alert. As soon as I heard my window break in the middle of the night, I was on full alert to fight off an intruder.
be on red alert
To be very attentive and ready to take action. This term is often applied to soldiers. We're safe here—the soldiers patrolling the border are on red alert. As soon as I heard my window break in the middle of the night, I was on red alert to fight off an intruder.
on red alert
In the highest possible state of readiness to address or prepare for some imminent danger, threat, trouble, or difficulty. The soldiers patrolling the border are on red alert. As soon as I heard my window break in the middle of the night, I was on red alert to fight off an intruder.
on the alert
Particularly watchful, attentive, or prepared (for something). Security personnel are on the alert for anyone carrying suspicious-looking packages or behaving strangely. We've been on the alert ever since we heard there had been a string of burglaries in our part of town.
Silver Alert
A public alert issued in the United States to help locate a missing senior citizen, especially one who has dementia. It is similar to the Amber Alert system that exists to help locate missing children. "Silver" is a term often associated with senior citizens, referring to the gray or white hair that often have. Primarily heard in US. Does anyone know if they found the man from this morning's Silver Alert?
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. © 2015 Farlex, Inc, all rights reserved.
alert someone
to something to make someone aware of trouble or potential trouble. The auditors alerted us to some problems with the accounts.
on the alert (for someone or something)
watchful and attentive for someone or something. Be on the alert for pickpockets. You should be on the alert when you cross the street in heavy traffic.
McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs. © 2002 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
on the alert
Watchful, fully prepared, as in The inspectors are always on the alert for a manufacturing error. [Late 1700s]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer. Copyright © 2003, 1997 by The Christine Ammer 1992 Trust. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
on ˌred aˈlert
prepared for an emergency or for something dangerous to happen: Following the bomb blast, local hospitals have been put on red alert.Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary © Farlex 2017
on the alert
Watchful and prepared for danger, emergency, or opportunity: bird watchers on the alert for a rare species.
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.