Silver Alert

noun

variants or less commonly silver alert

plural Silver Alerts also silver alerts

US

: a widely publicized bulletin that is used to alert the public when a person (especially an elderly person or a person with a cognitive disability) goes missing

Silver Alerts are emergency notifications used to notify residents of a missing, wandering older adult who may be suffering from a documented cognitive disability or degenerative memory disorder.

—CivicPlus.com

New Hampshire State Police issued a silver alert for two missing men who suffer from dementia.

—KC Downey

California joins an estimated 30 states with Silver Alert programs, acknowledging a growing issue for the nation as the population ages and the number of people suffering from some form of dementia increases.

—Tony Bizjak

Indiana updated its Silver Alert criteria in 2023 to include missing and endangered children for specific circumstances, rather than solely vulnerable adults.

—Alia Shoaib

compare amber alert, blue alert

Examples of Silver Alert in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The Arizona Department of Public Safety issued a Silver Alert on Tuesday for McGee after his disappearance met the Arizona Silver Alert criteria, according to Gilbert police. —Karen Bartunek, The Arizona Republic, 11 Dec. 2024

The Milwaukee Police Department and the Wisconsin Department of Justice have canceled a Silver Alert issued this morning for a missing 79-year-old woman with dementia. —Claire Reid, Journal Sentinel, 12 Nov. 2024

The Brown Deer Police Department has issued a Silver Alert for a missing 75-year-old man who has dementia. —Sophie Carson, Journal Sentinel, 20 Oct. 2024

Milwaukee police and the Wisconsin Department of Justice have issued a Silver Alert for a critically missing, vulnerable 76-year-old Milwaukee man. —Claire Reid, Journal Sentinel, 25 Sep. 2024

The Arizona Department of Transportation can also use freeway message boards to share the Silver Alert if the missing person is believed to be in a vehicle. —Arizona Republic, The Arizona Republic, 4 Sep. 2024

On July 5, the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department issued a statewide Silver Alert. —Jennifer Rodriguez, Kansas City Star, 7 July 2024

While Bryson was missing, Indiana State Police issued an Indiana Silver Alert for him. —Corin Cesaric, Peoplemag, 3 July 2024

Police have issued a Silver Alert for a 2-year-old girl from Groton. —Justin Muszynski, Hartford Courant, 28 June 2024

Word History

Etymology

after amber alert, with silver alluding to the hair color of many aged people

First Known Use

2004, in the meaning defined above