Read along with the three podcasts, or open the full dictionary entry for Warn for the definition, Arabic meaning, synonyms and example sentences.
Narrator: Today's word is "warn" — a verb, pronounced /wɔːn/, rhyming with "born".
Narrator: To warn means to tell someone of a possible danger or problem, so they can be ready or careful.
Narrator: In plain English, to warn is to give a heads-up about something bad that might happen.
Narrator: It comes from the Old English "warnian", meaning to take heed or give notice of danger.
Narrator: Its main sense is alerting — "I warned them about the ice".
Narrator: It can also mean to advise against — "she warned him not to go".
Narrator: We "warn of" a danger, or "warn someone about" a risk.
Narrator: In tone it's serious and caring, the language of looking out for others.
Narrator: So remember: to warn is to alert someone to danger or trouble ahead — a caring heads-up before harm.
Speaker A: I should warn you — that step's loose, so do be careful.
Speaker B: Thanks. "Warn" — giving a heads-up about danger, isn't it?
Speaker A: Exactly. "They warned us about the traffic" — so we left early.
Speaker B: And to advise against — "she warned him not to sign it".
Speaker A: Right. "The sign warns of falling rocks" — that's the alert sense.
Speaker B: A common mistake is the spelling — there's a silent feel, but it's W-A-R-N.
Speaker A: True — and don't muddle "warn" with "worn", meaning used or tired.
Speaker B: Good catch — they sound the same but mean quite different things.
Speaker A: Close synonyms? "Alert", "caution", or "advise".
Speaker B: And "forewarn" for warning well in advance.
Speaker A: So consider yourself warned about that step.
Speaker B: Ha, duly warned — I'll watch my footing.
Speaker B: Let's use "warn" to mean clear alerts and safeguards in your app when you prompt AI for development.
Speaker A: So "warn" tells the AI to alert users before trouble?
Speaker B: Exactly. For dangerous actions, you'd write:
Prompt: Warn the user before they delete anything important, with a clear message and a confirm step, so no one wipes their data by accident with a single careless click.
Speaker B: The word "warn" tells the model to flag risk before it happens.
Speaker A: Useful. What about unsaved work?
Speaker B: Try this:
Prompt: Warn users if they try to leave a page with unsaved changes, so they get a friendly heads-up and never lose work they forgot to save.
Speaker A: So it protects their effort.
Speaker B: Right. For limits:
Prompt: Warn users as they near their storage limit, well before it's full, so they have time to tidy up rather than being blocked out of the blue.
Speaker A: I like that early notice.
Speaker B: For forms:
Prompt: Warn about weak passwords as the user types, with a gentle hint, so they choose something secure before they ever submit the sign-up form.
Speaker A: Could it warn admins of errors too?
Speaker B: Yes:
Prompt: Warn me by email if error rates spike on my server, so I'm alerted to trouble quickly and can fix it before users really notice.
Speaker A: So "warn" means a clear, caring alert.
Speaker B: Exactly — a protective word for smart safeguards.
Warn — meaning in Arabic & definition More W courses GL Dictionary