Warning
nounA statement or signal that alerts someone to a possible danger, problem, or consequence.
How to spell warning
7 letters · 2 syllables
How to pronounce warning
Say the part in capitals loudest.
What does warning mean?
- nounA statement or signal that alerts someone to a possible danger, problem, or consequence.
- adjectiveServing to alert or caution about something.
Warning in a sentence
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noun
The weather service issued a warning about the approaching storm.
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adjective
A small warning label was printed on the side of the bottle.
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noun
The manager gave him a written warning for repeated lateness.
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adjective
The dashboard showed a warning light just before the engine stalled.
Where does warning come from?
Language of origin: Germanic
The word grows from the Old English verb warnian, meaning to caution, advise, or guard against danger, which in turn comes from a Germanic root tied to ideas of taking heed and protecting. The same family produced the verb 'ward' and the noun 'guard', all circling around the sense of keeping watch against harm. By adding the productive English suffix -ing, speakers turned the verb into a noun naming the act of warning or the notice itself. Because the spelling preserves the older 'war' opening, it keeps a single 'r' and a silent reminder that the sound 'wor' is written 'war' here, a small trap when the ear expects 'worning'.
How the word is built
- warn (from Old English warnian: to caution)
- -ing (noun/gerund suffix)
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