- 1[singular, uncountable] a situation in which people are watching for danger and ready to deal with it Police are warning the public to be on the alert for suspicious packages. More than 5 000 troops have been placed on (full) alert. Oxford Collocations Dictionary adjectiveheightened, high, full, … verb + alertissue, put out, raise, … alert + verbgo out prepositionon the alert, alert for phrasesbe on full alert, place somebody on alert, put somebody on alert, … See full entry See related entries: Terrorism
- 2[countable] a warning of danger or of a problem a bomb/fire alert Wordfinderattackalert, assassinate, attack, campaign, execute, extremist, hijack, hostage, kidnap, terrorism see also red alert Oxford Collocations Dictionary adjectiveheightened, high, full, … verb + alertissue, put out, raise, … alert + verbgo out prepositionon the alert, alert for phrasesbe on full alert, place somebody on alert, put somebody on alert, … See full entry See related entries: Terrorism Word Originlate 16th cent. (originally in military use): from French alerte, from Italian all' erta ‘to the watchtower’.Extra examples A nationwide alert went out for three escaped prisoners. A security alert was issued after four men escaped from the prison. His sudden disappearance triggered a red alert among his friends. Receive regular email alerts about breaking news. The alert was called off when it was found that the bomb was not live. The army was yesterday placed on a state of alert in case of more riots. The country has put its troops on high alert. The security forces are now on full alert. They rang the bells to sound the alert. They rang the church bells to sound the alert and the villagers then fled. Thousands of police were put on full alert at all main roads leading to the city. You should always be on the alert for anyone who looks suspicious. A bomb alert forced staff to evacuate the building for several hours. A flood alert has been issued in the city after last night’s heavy rain. Following the bomb blast, local hospitals have been put on red alert. More than 5 000 troops have been placed on full alert.
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