warning cry
Alert to others
A warning cry is a vocalization alerting others to danger.
Animals produce species-specific warning cries—a bird's alarm call, a monkey's shriek at a predator.
Humans use the term for urgent verbal alerts: She let out a warning cry as the car approached.
The phrase emphasizes the primal, instinctive quality of the sound rather than its verbal content.
- alarmUrgent warning signal
- alarm callScheduled rousing notification
- shriekShrill, piercing cry
- screamLoud sharp cry
- sirenWailing alert device
sound the alarm · howl · alert · danger · danger signal · predator · flock · scatter · shrill · urgent · panic · flee · fight or flight · sentinel · lookout · lookout post · distress · signal
- animal callsbird call, bird calls, ribbit, frog calls, peep
- bird soundschirp, birdcall, tweet, bird songs, cheep
- loud soundsloud, scream, yell, thunderous, screaming
- escape responsesfleeing, flight, running away, escaping, escape
warning crysafety call
Umpire's favorable ruling
reassurance · invitation · mating call · greeting · lullaby
warning crywhisper
Speech without full voice
murmur · hushed tone · silence · undertone · sotto voce
warning crylure
Thing that tempts
mating call · dinner bell · come-hither · rallying cry · homing beacon