warned; warning; warns

transitive verb

1
a
: to give notice to beforehand especially of danger or evil
b
: to give admonishing advice to : counsel
c
: to call to one's attention : inform
2
: to order to go or stay away
often used with off
warner noun

Examples of warn in a Sentence

I had been warned about the difficulties of the job. She warned me that the stove was still hot. “This won't be easy,” he warned. Nobody warned me about the dangers. I warned him to be careful, but he didn't listen to me. She warned us not to go too close to the fire.
Recent Examples on the Web Meanwhile, authorities have warned that Garweg and Staub are considered dangerous and should not be approached as they may be armed. Sophie Tanno, CNN, 17 Mar. 2024 Bloodshed surrounding an aid convoy on Feb. 29 killed 118 Palestinians in northern Gaza, when the Israeli military said its forces fired at people in the crowd who were advancing toward them and that tanks fired warning shots to disperse them. Democrat-Gazette Staff From Wire Reports, arkansasonline.com, 16 Mar. 2024 Hare parked behind the BMW, and the suspect got out, approached the patrol car on the passenger side, then shot the officer without warning. CBS News, 16 Mar. 2024 Now, Elliot is warning shoppers to be cautious when opening packages. Vanessa Etienne, Peoplemag, 15 Mar. 2024 While the general election is months away, advocates are warning that another Donald Trump administration could bring stricter immigration enforcement. Rebecca Plevin, Los Angeles Times, 15 Mar. 2024 Israel, which has been under growing pressure to allow more aid into the territory, had organized that convoy to northern Gaza, where the United Nations has warned that hundreds of thousands of people are facing starvation. Anushka Patil, New York Times, 15 Mar. 2024 But operatives warn against writing her off just yet. Tal Axelrod, ABC News, 15 Mar. 2024 Wind gusts exceeding 35 mph will blow snow and severely restrict visibility making travel conditions difficult to impossible, forecasters warned. Anthony Robledo, USA TODAY, 14 Mar. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'warn.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Middle English warnen, going back to Old English wearnian, warnian "to be on one's guard, make aware, put on one's guard," going back to West Germanic *warnōjan- (whence Middle Dutch waernen "to provide with, give notice of a danger," Old High German warnōn), probably causative derivative of Germanic *wara- "cognizant, watchful" — more at ware entry 1

First Known Use

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of warn was before the 12th century

Dictionary Entries Near warn

Cite this Entry

“Warn.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/warn. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

warn

verb
1
a
: to give notice to beforehand especially of danger or evil
b
: to give advice to : counsel
2
: to order to go or stay away
warned us off their land
warner noun

More from Merriam-Webster on warn

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