air raid siren

plural air raid sirens · alternative air-raid siren

1. A siren that makes a very loud alarm sound to warn the population of an upcoming air raid.

   It's Christmas at ground zero / There's music in the air / The sleigh bells are ringing / And the carolers are singing / While the air raid sirens blare

   1986, "Weird Al" Yankovic, “Christmas at Ground Zero”, in Polka Party!

   1 more example

   "In Kyiv we stayed overnight at a hotel before boarding a Ukrainian Railways train to Kishinev (Chisinau). When we arrived at Kyiv station, an air raid siren went off and the police started rushing people to the shelter. I said to an officer that we would miss our train if we went to the shelter, and he allowed us to go to the platform. The train was there. It departed on time. Our Sleeper car and compartment were what I expected. There were two beds with a table in between. The train arrived in Kishinev as scheduled.

   2024 September 4, Vitali Vitaliev, “A salute to Ukraine's 'Second Army'”, in RAIL, number 1017, pages 48-49

   Synonyms: civil defence siren, tornado siren