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 …

—Fall River (Massachusetts) News

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

The social media app, used by 170 million Americans, is partnering with National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC) for an in-app Amber Alert initiative, the company announced on March 20, 2025. —Anna Halkidis, Parents, 20 Mar. 2025

An Amber Alert has been issued for a 1-year-old missing in South Dakota after he was reportedly kidnapped on Thursday night. —Mark Davis, Newsweek, 14 Mar. 2025

An Amber Alert was launched in the immediate aftermath of the rampage, and BSO deputies found Nathan and Seraphine at a North Lauderdale Walmart that afternoon, where Nathan was arrested. —David Goodhue, Miami Herald, 14 Mar. 2025

Meanwhile, investigators said the boy’s disappearance did not meet the criteria for an Amber Alert to be issued. —Sam Gillette, People.com, 11 Mar. 2025

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

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