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Definition of alarm verb from the Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary

alarm

verb
 
/əˈlɑːm/
 
/əˈlɑːrm/
Verb Forms
present simple I / you / we / they alarm
 
/əˈlɑːm/
 
/əˈlɑːrm/
he / she / it alarms
 
/əˈlɑːmz/
 
/əˈlɑːrmz/
past simple alarmed
 
/əˈlɑːmd/
 
/əˈlɑːrmd/
past participle alarmed
 
/əˈlɑːmd/
 
/əˈlɑːrmd/
-ing form alarming
 
/əˈlɑːmɪŋ/
 
/əˈlɑːrmɪŋ/
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  1. alarm somebody to make somebody anxious or afraid synonym worry
    • I can only guess that they don't want to alarm the public yet.
    • The blood test did not unduly alarm her medical team.
    • It alarms me that nobody takes this problem seriously.
    • The captain knew there was an engine fault but didn't want to alarm the passengers.
    Synonyms frightenfrightenscare alarm terrifyThese words all mean to make somebody afraid.frighten to make somebody feel afraid, often suddenly:
    • He brought out a gun and frightened them off.
    scare to make somebody feel afraid:
    • They managed to scare the bears away.
    alarm to make somebody anxious or afraid:
    • It alarms me that nobody takes this problem seriously.
    Alarm is used when somebody has a feeling that something unpleasant or dangerous might happen in the future; the feeling is often more one of worry than actual fear.
    terrify to make somebody feel extremely afraid:
    • Flying terrified her.
    frighten or scare?Scare is slightly more informal than frighten.Patterns
    • to frighten/​scare somebody/​something away/​off
    • to frighten/​scare/​terrify somebody into doing something
    • It frightens/​scares/​alarms/​terrifies me that…
    • It frightens/​scares/​alarms/​terrifies me to think, see, etc.
    Topics Feelingsb2
  2. alarm something to fit something such as a door with a device that warns people when somebody is trying to enter illegally
  3. Word Originlate Middle English (as an exclamation meaning ‘to arms!’): from Old French alarme, from Italian allarme, from all' arme! ‘to arms!’.
See alarm in the Oxford Advanced American DictionarySee alarm in the Oxford Learner's Dictionary of Academic English
halfway
adverb
 
 
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