to warn (troops, ships, etc.) to prepare for action.
7.
to warn of an impending raid, attack, storm, etc.: The radio alerted coastal residents to prepare for the hurricane.
8.
to advise or warn; cause to be on guard: to alert gardeners to the dangers of some pesticides.
Idiom
9.
on the alert, on guard against danger; in readiness; vigilant: The state police are on the alert for an escaped convict believed to be in the area.
Origin: 1590–1600; 1940–45 for def. 4; < Italian all'erta, equivalent to all(a) to, on the + erta lookout, watchtower, orig. feminine of erto, past participle of ergere < Latin ērigere to erect
Related forms
a·lert·ly, adverb
a·lert·ness, noun
hy·per·a·lert, adjective
un·a·lert·ed, adjective
Synonyms 1. awake, wary, observant. Alert,vigilant,watchful imply a wide-awake attitude, as of someone keenly aware of his or her surroundings. Alert describes a ready and prompt attentiveness together with a quick intelligence: The tourist was alert and eager to see the sights. Vigilant suggests some immediate necessity for keen, active observation, and for continuing alertness: Knowing the danger, the scout was unceasingly vigilant. Watchful suggests carefulness and preparedness: watchful waiting. 2. brisk, lively, quick, active, sprightly, spirited.
c.1600, from Fr. alerte "vigilant," from phrase à l'erte "on the watch," from It. all'erta "to the height," from erta "lookout, high tower," orig. fem. of erto, pp. of ergere "raise up," from L. erigere "raise." The adv. is the oldest form in Eng.; the adj. is from 1712, the noun from 1803, and