What does "siren" mean?
One of a group of nymphs who lured mariners to their death on the rocks.
Siren
/ˈsaɪəɹən/ adj, name, noun, verb
adj, name, noun, verb ·Common ·High school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: One of a group of nymphs who lured mariners to their death on the rocks.
- Grammar: siren is listed as adj, name, noun, verb.
- Nearest alternatives: enchantress, temptress, air-raid alarm, alarm.
- Usage evidence: The siren sounded an emergency.
How to use "siren"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "siren" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "siren" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "siren" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "siren" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "siren" is acting as adj, name, noun, verb in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "enchantress" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "siren", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 One of a group of nymphs who lured mariners to their death on the rocks. Greek
"Now give ear to what I'm about to say to you , and a god himself will bring it before your mind . First , you will come to the Sirens . These beings enthrall all men who arrive before them . Whoever draws near without knowledge and ..."
- 2 eellike aquatic North American salamander with small forelimbs and no hind limbs; have permanent external gills wordnet
- 3 One who sings sweetly and charms.
- 4 an acoustic device producing a loud often wailing sound as a signal or warning wordnet
- 5 A dangerously seductive woman.
Show 10 more definitions
- 6 a warning signal that is a loud wailing sound wordnet
- 7 A member of Sirenia, an order of mammals.
- 8 a woman who is considered to be dangerously seductive wordnet
- 9 A member of a genus of aquatic salamanders of the family Sirenidae, commonly used for all species in the family Sirenidae.
- 10 a sea nymph (part woman and part bird) supposed to lure sailors to destruction on the rocks where the nymphs lived wordnet
- 11 Any of various nymphalid butterflies of the genus Hestina.
- 12 A device, either mechanical or electronic, that makes a piercingly loud sound as an alarm or signal, or the sound from such a device.
"My attention was diverted from this sight by a furious yelling, like that of the thing called a siren in our manufacturing towns."
- 13 A musical instrument, one of the few aerophones in the percussion section of the symphony orchestra (patented as Acme Siren in 1895).
- 14 An instrument for demonstrating the laws of beats and combination tones.
- 15 An astrophysical event that can be used for calculating cosmic distances.
Verb
- 1 To make a noise with, or as if with, a siren. intransitive
- 2 To drive with a siren on. intransitive
Adjective
- 1 Relating to or like a siren.
Proper Noun
- 1 A village, the county seat of Burnett County, Wisconsin, United States.
- 2 A town in Burnett County, Wisconsin, United States, surrounding the village of the same name.
Synonyms
All synonymsExample
"The siren sounded an emergency."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "siren"?
Common synonyms include: enchantress, temptress, air-raid alarm, alarm, alarm, alarm bell.
How do you use "siren" in a sentence?
The siren sounded an emergency.
How do you pronounce "siren"?
Pronounced /ˈsaɪəɹən/.
Etymology
Etymology 1
From Middle English siren, from Old French sereine and Latin Sīrēn, Sīrēna, from Ancient Greek Σειρήν (Seirḗn). The mammalian sense was first attested in French in Dominique Bouhours, Les entretiens d'Ariste et d'Eugène, in 1671. The aquatic salamander sense was originally introduced by Linnaeus in 1766, for a genus of his reptiles.
Etymology 2
The name was intended to be Syren, from Swedish syren (“lilac”), but this was "corrected" by the US Post Office to Siren, who thought the name applied for was a misspelling.