1. (

• alarm ,
• alert

) warn or arouse to a sense of danger or call to a state of preparedness; "The empty house alarmed him"; "We alerted the new neighbors to the high rate of burglaries" ;

1. (

• alert ,
• watchful

) engaged in or accustomed to close observation; "caught by a couple of alert cops"; "alert enough to spot the opportunity when it came"; "constantly alert and vigilant, like a sentinel on duty" ;

2. (

• alert ,
• brisk ,
• lively ,
• merry ,
• rattling ,
• snappy ,
• spanking ,
• zippy

) quick and energetic; "a brisk walk in the park"; "a lively gait"; "a merry chase"; "traveling at a rattling rate"; "a snappy pace"; "a spanking breeze" ;

3. (

• alert ,
• alive ,
• awake

) mentally perceptive and responsive; "an alert mind"; "alert to the problems"; "alive to what is going on"; "awake to the dangers of her situation"; "was now awake to the reality of his predicament" ;