beware
Stay on guard
Beware is a warning to be cautious or watchful.
It takes a direct object without a preposition: Beware the dog, Beware false prophets.
The word appears mainly in warnings and commands rather than ordinary statements—you rarely hear I beware or she bewared.
Buyer beware (caveat emptor) warns that purchases are at one's own risk.
Careful attention to risk
- alertWarning or watchfulness
- alarmUrgent warning signal
- forewarnAlert in advance
- warnGive notice of peril
advise · signal · notify · heads-up · admonish · caveat · heed · watch out
Source of potential harm
- threatIndication of potential harm
- riskPossibility of harm
- perilSerious threat of harm
- menaceSource of potential harm
pitfall · trap · snare · jeopardy · harm · poison · toxicity · predator
Careful, sustained attention
- alertnessActive mental awareness
- cautionCareful attention to risk
- suspicionSense of unease about motives
- distrustAbsence of confidence
skepticism · guardedness · attentiveness · circumspection · prudence · heedfulness · paranoia · mistrust
Prophetic indicator
- portentSign of future calamity
- forebodingFearful anticipation of harm
- premonitionAdvance sense of future events
- harbingerOne who foreshadows
foreshadowing · warning sign · bad sign · ill omen · red flag · dark cloud · writing on the wall
caution
Careful attention to risk
warn · advise · signal · notify · heads-up · admonish · caveat · heed · watch out · look out
hazard
Source of potential harm
menace · pitfall · trap · snare · jeopardy · harm · poison · toxicity · predator · scam
watchfulness
Careful, sustained attention
- alertnessActive mental awareness
- cautionCareful attention to risk
- suspicionSense of unease about motives
distrust · skepticism · guardedness · attentiveness · circumspection · prudence · heedfulness · paranoia · mistrust · apprehension
omen
Prophetic indicator
- portentSign of future calamity
- forebodingFearful anticipation of harm
- premonitionAdvance sense of future events
harbinger · foreshadowing · warning sign · bad sign · ill omen · red flag · dark cloud · writing on the wall
- cautioncareful, be careful, cautious, caution, watch out
- warningswarning, alert, caution, danger, warning sign
- caution expressionscaution, warning, watch out, be careful, look out
- archaic imperativeshark, behold, begone, heed, halt
- red flagsred flags, warning signs, warning, caution, alarm
- signsstop sign, sign, signs, road sign, exit
- buyer bewarePurchaser assumes all risk
- let the buyer bewarePurchaser assumes all risk