siren 
siren
Definition
si·ren (sī′rən)
noun
- Gr. & Rom. Myth. any of several sea nymphs, represented as part bird and part woman, who lure sailors to their death on rocky coasts by seductive singing
- a woman who uses her sexual attractiveness to entice or allure men; a woman who is considered seductive
- an acoustical device in which steam or air is driven against a rotating, perforated disk so as to produce sound; specif., such a device producing a loud, often wailing sound, used esp. as a warning signal
- an electronic device that produces a similar sound
- any of a family (Sirenidae) of slender, eel-shaped salamanders without hind legs; esp., the mud eel
Etymology: ME syrene < OFr < LL Sirena, for L Siren < Gr Seirēn < ? seira, cord, rope (hence, orig. ? one who snares, entangles) < IE base *twer-, to grasp
siren
Synonyms
siren
n.
siren
Usage Examples
Possessives
- call: It was time to answer the ever-present siren's call that radiated from Vince's eyes.
Converse of object
- wail: The only sounds that remained there were cries of pain, the wail ambulance sirens... Where are the children?
- scream: Cars screaming about, police sirens screaming, flashing lights, people shouting, a pub TV screen the size of very big thing.
- hear: Too late I heard the sirens coming, my heart sank.
- operate: The button pressure also operates the siren at the top of the hose tower.
- sound: Sound the air raid siren, there's an evil drone on the horizon, Red Tape are mounting the attack!
- use: Please give way to emergency vehicles using sirens or emergency lights.
Adjective modifier
- loud: About ten yards away, a loud siren on a telephone pole goes off.
Modifies a noun
- voice: These siren voices telling Africans visiting the United States, The Soviet Union or Britain, must have been tempting indeed.
- song: Sooner or later, politics is a siren song to many.
- call: Best avoid the siren call of the open pubs.
- warning: In general terms, anyone who cannot hear the siren warning is not at any significant risk from the hazard.
- sound: What happens when the sirens sound and the reaction of children.
- control: A t t a c k siren control signal.
Noun used with modifier
- air-raid: We always had to be ready for the air-raid sirens going of even in the middle of the night.
- raid: Air raid sirens rang in Basra city around the time of the attack.
- ambulance: The only sounds that remained there were cries of pain, the wail ambulance sirens... Where are the children?
- warning: Three warning sirens are located at in the village.
- air: An air raid siren at the Nurses Home on Westgate Road was sounded.
- police: He plays the sound of a police siren for a recall.
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