warn
UK /wɔːn/ · US /woɹn/ verb, proper noun
Forms warns warning warned
- verb (transitive) To make (someone) aware of impending danger, evil, etc. “We waved a flag to warn the oncoming traffic about the accident.”
- verb (transitive) To notify or inform (someone, about something). “I warned him he'd be getting a huge box of birthday presents from me.”
- verb (transitive) To summon (someone) to or inform of a formal meeting or duty.
- verb (ambitransitive, of a clock, possibly obsolete) To make a sound (e.g. clicking or whirring) indicating that it is about to strike or chime (an hour).
- verb (transitive) To caution or admonish (someone) against unwise or unacceptable behaviour. “He was warned against crossing the railway tracks at night.”
- verb (chiefly with "off", "away", and similar words) To advise or order to go or stay away. “A sign warns trespassers off/away from the site.”
- verb (intransitive) To give warning.
- proper noun A surname.
Synonyms
Etymology
From Middle English warnen, warnien (“to warn; admonish”), from Old English warnian (“to take heed; warn”), from Proto-Germanic *warnōną (“to warn; take heed”), from Proto-Indo-European *wer- (“to be aware; give heed”). Cognate with Dutch waarnen (obsolete), German Low German warnen, German warnen, Swedish varna, Icelandic varna.
Webster’s 1913
- verb To refuse. [Written also wern, worn.] [Obs.] Chaucer.
- verb To make ware or aware; to give previous information to; to give notice to; to notify; to admonish; hence, to notify or summon by authority; as, to warn a town meeting; to warn a tenant to quit a house. "Warned of the ensuing fight." Dryden.
- verb To give notice to, of approaching or probable danger or evil; to caution against anything that may prove injurious. "Juturna warns the Daunian chief of Lausus' danger, urging swift relief." Dryden.
Etymology [OE. wernen, AS. weornan, wyrnan. Cf. Warn to admonish.]
Etymology [OE. warnen, warnien, AS. warnian, wearnian, to take heed, to warn; akin to AS. wearn denial, refusal, OS. warning, wernian, to refuse, OHG. warnen, G. warnen to warn, OFries. warna, werna, Icel. varna to refuse; and probably to E. wary. 1. To make ware or aware; to give previous information to; to give notice to; to notify; to admonish; hence, to notify or summon by authority; as, to warn a town meeting; to warn a tenant to quit a house. "Warned of the ensuing fight." Dryden. Cornelius the centurion . . . was warned from God by an holy angel to send for thee. Acts x. 22. Who is it that hath warned us to the walls Shak. 2. To give notice to, of approaching or probable danger or evil; to caution against anything that may prove injurious. "Juturna warns the Daunian chief of Lausus' danger, urging swift relief." Dryden. 3. To ward off. [Obs.]
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “warn”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details