warning of attack
- noun
- Formal
:
advertencia de ataque
- The government issued a warning of attack after intercepting enemy communications.
Examples
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Military leaders rely on a warning of attack to make rapid strategic decisions.
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A false warning of attack could trigger unnecessary mobilization of national forces.
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The government issued a warning of attack yesterday.
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Many received the warnings of attack just before the event.
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The government issued a warning of attack to alert citizens of the impending threat.
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In response to the warning of attack, emergency services prepared for immediate action.
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Officials took the warning of attack seriously and implemented increased security measures.
Synonyms
24
4.7
A strong warning that serious danger is coming and people must act now
A message that tells leaders about a possible attack so they can prepare
An advance notice that tells people about a possible danger
A notice given before an event or change
How Urgent
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning is directly and compositionally derived from 'warning' (an alert) + 'of' (indicating about) + 'attack' (an act of violence), so a learner who knows the constituent words can infer it is a warning that an attack may occur. This noun + of + noun construction is a common, cross-linguistic pattern and follows standard English composition, making it immediately comprehensible to a B1 learner.
Etymology
The phrase warning of attack comes from the old image of town watchmen who would ring a bell or send a runner when they saw enemies, giving a clear warning that an attack was coming. So today it means an 'official notice' to leaders that an enemy is 'about to strike'.