Amber Alert

noun

variants or less commonly Amber alert or amber alert
plural Amber Alerts also Amber alerts or amber alerts
US
: a widely publicized bulletin that alerts the public to a recently abducted or missing child
… State Police activated the Amber Alert in search of a male infant who they believed was kidnapped …—Herald News (Fall River, MA)
State Police put out an Amber alert …—Travis Andersen
… sends a text message … for emergency alerts (like hurricanes and amber alerts) …—Greg Ganske
Amber Alerts are issued when a child under 18 is abducted and believed to be in imminent danger of serious bodily injury or death.—Anthony Maenza
compare blue alert, silver alert

Examples of Amber Alert in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
The Georgia Bureau of Investigation had issued an Amber Alert for 4-year-old Zola Cooper and 11-month-old Norah Cooper, after investigators said they were abducted by their babysitter, 42-year-old Lakesha Brown. — Dan Raby, CBS News, 18 Aug. 2026 An Amber Alert was issued for a 2009 white Ford F-350 truck Brown was believed to be traveling in, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation said. — Jeanine Santucci, USA Today, 18 Aug. 2026 Panettiere also starred in the direct-to-video movies Amber Alert (2024) and Sleepwalker (2026). — Allison Degrushe, StyleCaster, 17 Aug. 2026 Panettiere’s return to acting came years later through Scream 6, and subsequent projects included 2024’s Amber Alert and 2025’s A Breed Apart. — Nicholas Rice, PEOPLE, 17 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for Amber Alert

Word History

Etymology

from the U.S. Justice Department AMBER Alert Program that issues such bulletins, originally from Amber Hagerman †1996 U.S. victim of an abduction, later read as an acronym for America's Missing Broadcast Emergency Response

First Known Use

1997, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of Amber Alert was in 1997

Rhymes for Amber Alert

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Browse Nearby Words

amber
Amber Alert
amber brown
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Cite this Entry

“Amber Alert.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Amber%20Alert. Accessed 22 Aug. 2026.

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Kids Definition

Amber alert

noun
: a widely publicized bulletin that alerts the public to a recently abducted or missing child

Legal Definition

Amber Alert

noun
: a widely publicized bulletin that alerts the public to a recently abducted or missing child
Etymology

from the U.S. Justice Dept. AMBER Alert Program that issues such bulletins, originally from Amber Hagerman †1996 victim of an abduction, later read as America's Missing: Broadcast Emergency Response

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