warning

• (General American) IPA^(key): /ˈwɔɹnɪŋ/
• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˈwɔːnɪŋ/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

• Audio (US)

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɔː(ɹ)nɪŋ
• Hyphenation: warn‧ing

warning

1. present participle of warn
   • 1898, Winston Churchill, chapter 5, in The Celebrity:

     Although the Celebrity was almost impervious to sarcasm, he was now beginning to exhibit visible signs of uneasiness, […] . It was with a palpable relief that he heard the first warning notes of the figure.

warning (plural warnings)

1. The action of the verb warn; an instance of warning someone.
   • 1918, W. B. Maxwell, chapter 7, in The Mirror and the Lamp:

     “[…] Churchill, my dear fellow, we have such greedy sharks, and wolves in lamb's clothing. Oh, dear, there's so much to tell you, so many warnings to give you, but all that must be postponed for the moment.”

2. Something spoken or written that is intended to warn.
   • 2013 June 22, “Snakes and ladders”, in The Economist, volume 407, number 8841, page 76:

     Risk is everywhere. From tabloid headlines insisting that coffee causes cancer (yesterday, of course, it cured it) to stern government warnings about alcohol and driving, the world is teeming with goblins.

   The boss gave him a warning that he would be fired if he did not desist from his behaviour.

• warning sign

warning

1. Used to warn of danger in signs and notices.