alertadjective
uk/əˈlɜːt/us/əˈlɝːt/C1 quick to see, understand, and act in a particular situation:
I'm not feeling very alert today - not enough sleep last night!
A couple of alert readers posted comments on the website pointing out the mistake.
Parents should be alert to sudden changes in children's behaviour.
More examples
- Doing puzzles and crosswords regularly keeps your mind alert and active.
- Although Granny was frail in her old age, but was mentally very alert.
- He was normally a bright, alert baby, so she felt sure there was something seriously wrong.
- A small animal must always remain alert for predators.
- There have been some thefts recently, so please stay alert and don't leave handbags and valuables around.
Thesaurus: synonyms and related words
Perceptive
- acute
- acutely
- antenna
- eagle eye
- eye
- gimlet
- have an eye for sth idiom
- have eyes in the back of your head idiom
- have gimlet eyes idiom
- have/keep (all) your wits about you idiom
- hawk-eyed
- insight
- observant
- perceptive
- percipient
- razor-sharp
- sharp
- sharp-eyed
- sharply
- wit
You can also find related words, phrases, and synonyms in the topics:
Reacting and responding
alertness
noun [ U ] uk/əˈlɜːt.nəs/us/əˈlɝːt.nəs/
alertnoun [ C or U ]
uk/əˈlɜːt/us/əˈlɝːt/C1 a warning to people to be prepared to deal with something dangerous:
a bomb alert
The army was put on (full) alert as the peace talks began to fail.
The public were warned to be on the alert for (= watching carefully for) suspicious packages.
Thesaurus: synonyms and related words
Threats & warnings
- (I) told you (so)! idiom
- (just) you wait idiom
- bell
- cautionary tale
- do you want to make something/anything of it? idiom
- don't you dare idiom
- early warning system
- emergency cord
- fire a (warning) shot across sb's bow idiom
- forewarn
- heads-up
- notice
- ring/sound alarm bells idiom
- siren
- slap
- tip
- ultimatum
- wake-up call
- warning
- warning/alarm bells start to ring/sound idiom
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You can also find related words, phrases, and synonyms in the topics:
Emergency services in general
alertverb [ T ]
uk/əˈlɜːt/us/əˈlɝːt/C2 to warn someone of a possibly dangerous situation:
An anonymous letter alerted police to the possibility of a terrorist attack at the airport.
More examples
- If you hear a flood warning, please alert your neighbours and make emergency preparations.
- Until I saw my statement, there was nothing to alert me that someone else was using my credit card number.
- We encourage parents to alert the school about any concerns or difficulties at home.
- We don't want to alarm people unnecessarily, but they should be alerted to potential dangers.
- A note of formality in his voice alerted her to the fact that others were listening.
Thesaurus: synonyms and related words
Threats & warnings
- (I) told you (so)! idiom
- (just) you wait idiom
- bell
- cautionary tale
- do you want to make something/anything of it? idiom
- don't you dare idiom
- early warning system
- emergency cord
- fire a (warning) shot across sb's bow idiom
- forewarn
- heads-up
- notice
- ring/sound alarm bells idiom
- siren
- slap
- tip
- ultimatum
- wake-up call
- warning
- warning/alarm bells start to ring/sound idiom
See more results »