WARN

warn

(verb) notify, usually in advance; “I warned you that I would ask some difficult questions”

warn

(verb) ask to go away; “The old man warned the children off his property”

warn

(verb) 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”

warn, discourage, admonish, monish

(verb) advise or counsel in terms of someone’s behavior; “I warned him not to go too far”; “I warn you against false assumptions”; “She warned him to be quiet”

Source: WordNet® 3.1

---

Etymology

Verb

warn (third-person singular simple present warns, present participle warning, simple past and past participle warned)

(transitive) To make (someone) aware of (something impending); especially:

(transitive) To make (someone) aware of impending danger, evil, etc. [from 11th c.]

(transitive) To notify or inform (someone, about something). [from at least the 13th c.]

(transitive) To summon (someone) to or inform of a formal meeting or duty.

(ambitransitive, of a, clock, possibly, obsolete) To make a sound (e.g. clicking or whirring) indicating that it is about to strike or chime (an hour).

(transitive) To caution or admonish (someone) against unwise or unacceptable behaviour. [from 11th c.]

(chiefly, with "off", "away", and similar words) To advise or order to go or stay away.

(intransitive) To give warning.

Usage notes

• The intransitive sense is considered colloquial by some, and is explicitly proscribed by, for example, the Daily Telegraph style guide (which prefers give warning).

Anagrams

• ANWR

Proper noun

Warn (plural Warns)

A surname.

Statistics

• According to the 2010 United States Census, Warn is the 24186^th most common surname in the United States, belonging to 1039 individuals. Warn is most common among White (92.49%) individuals.

Anagrams

• ANWR

Source: Wiktionary

---

Warn (wasrn), v. t. Etym: [OE. wernen, AS. weornan, wyrnan. Cf. Warn to admonish.]

Definition: To refuse. [Written also wern, worn.] [Obs.] Chaucer.

Warn, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Warned; p. pr. & vb. n. Warning.] Etym: [OE. warnen, warnien, AS. warnian, wearnian, to take heed, to warn; akin to AS. wearn denial, refusal, OS. warning, wernian, to refuse, OHG. warnen, G. warnen to warn, OFries. warna, werna, Icel. varna to refuse; and probably to E. wary.

1. To make ware or aware; to give previous information to; to give notice to; to notify; to admonish; hence, to notify or summon by authority; as, to warn a town meeting; to warn a tenant to quit a house. "Warned of the ensuing fight." Dryden. Cornelius the centurion . . . was warned from God by an holy angel to send for thee. Acts x. 22. Who is it that hath warned us to the walls Shak.

2. To give notice to, of approaching or probable danger or evil; to caution against anything that may prove injurious. "Juturna warns the Daunian chief of Lausus' danger, urging swift relief." Dryden.

3. To ward off. [Obs.] Spenser.

Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition

---