early warning system

Thân thiện

A radar screen displays a blip as part of an early warning system.

Definition

1. Noun:
   • A network of radar installations designed to detect enemy missiles or aircraft while there is still time to intercept them: A military or strategic system that uses technology to identify potential threats at a great distance, allowing for a defensive response.
   • Any system or procedure designed to give advance notice of a potential danger or problem: A broader application referring to any organized method for detecting signs of trouble early, allowing for preventive action.

Usage Examples

• Noun:
  • The country invested billions in upgrading its early warning system against ballistic missiles.
  • Financial regulators act as an early warning system for economic crises.
  • Seismologists are working to develop a more reliable earthquake early warning system.

Advanced Usage

• "to serve as an early warning system": to function as a method for providing advance notice.
  • Canaries in coal mines once served as an early warning system for toxic gases.
• "to trigger an early warning system": to activate the alert mechanism.
  • The unusual seismic activity triggered the region's early warning system.

Variants and Related Words

• Early warning (noun phrase, often used attributively): The act or capability of providing advance notice.
  • The report provided early warning of the supply chain disruption.
  • They installed early-warning radar along the coast. (Note: hyphenated when used as a compound adjective before a noun)

Synonyms

• Alert system: A system designed to notify people of imminent danger.
• Surveillance network: A connected system for observing an area to gather information.
• Monitoring system: A system for watching and checking a situation over time.

Related Phrases

• Early warning sign: An initial indicator of a potential problem.
  • A persistent cough can be an early warning sign of a more serious condition.
• Early warning mechanism: A specific component or process within a larger system that generates alerts.
  • The audit includes an early warning mechanism for budget overruns.

Idioms and Figurative Use

• While not a traditional idiom, the term is often used figuratively in non-military contexts.
  • Regular customer feedback surveys are our early warning system for product issues. (Here, it metaphorically represents a business process for detecting problems.)

Học thuật

Noun

1. a network of radar installations designed to detect enemy missiles or aircraft while there is still time to intercept them