preparedness, readiness, preparation - the state of having been made ready or prepared for use or action (especially military action); "putting them in readiness"; "their preparation was more than adequate"

air alert - the condition in which combat aircraft are airborne and ready for an operation; "aircraft in the Mideast are on air alert"

red alert - the highest level of alert when an attack by the enemy seems immanent (or more generally a state of alert resulting from immanent danger)

strip alert - a state of readiness for domestic defense aircraft; "the Air Force will keep fighters on strip alert at bases around the country"

warning - a message informing of danger

EAS, Emergency Alert System - a federal warning system that is activated by FEMA; enables the President to take over the United States airwaves to warn the whole country of major catastrophic events

torpedo - a small explosive device that is placed on a railroad track and fires when a train runs over it; the sound of the explosion warns the engineer of danger ahead

signal, signaling, sign - any communication that encodes a message; "signals from the boat suddenly stopped"

air alert - the warning signal that begins an period of preparation for an enemy air attack

burglar alarm - a loud warning signal produced by a burglar alarm; "they could hear the burglar alarm a mile away"

fire alarm - a shout or bell to warn that fire has broken out

foghorn, fogsignal - a loud low warning signal that can be heard by fog-bound ships

horn - a noise made by the driver of an automobile to give warning;

red flag - a flag that serves as a warning signal; "we didn't swim at the beach because the red flag was up"

siren - a warning signal that is a loud wailing sound

alarm bell, tocsin - the sound of an alarm (usually a bell)

warn - notify of danger, potential harm, or risk; "The director warned him that he might be fired"; "The doctor warned me about the dangers of smoking"

wake - make aware of; "His words woke us to terrible facts of the situation"

wary - marked by keen caution and watchful prudence; "they were wary in their movements"; "a wary glance at the black clouds"; "taught to be wary of strangers"

awake - not in a state of sleep; completely conscious; "lay awake thinking about his new job"; "still not fully awake"

lively - full of life and energy; "a lively discussion"; "lively and attractive parents"; "a lively party"

intelligent - having the capacity for thought and reason especially to a high degree; "is there intelligent life in the universe?"; "an intelligent question"

conscious - knowing and perceiving; having awareness of surroundings and sensations and thoughts; "remained conscious during the operation"; "conscious of his faults"; "became conscious that he was being followed"

aware - (sometimes followed by `of') having or showing realization or perception; "was aware of his opponent's hostility"; "became aware of her surroundings"; "aware that he had exceeded the speed limit"