alert five

In real, traceable use. Part of the curated seed collection; community review is coming.

Meaning · English

On an aircraft carrier, the state where fighters and crew are on guard, standing by in the aircraft, strapped in and ready to be launched in five minutes or less.

Register: slang

Where it’s used: Used American English
Sources & notes

Adapted from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-07-30 via kaikki.org).

Common questions

What does “alert five” mean?

On an aircraft carrier, the state where fighters and crew are on guard, standing by in the aircraft, strapped in and ready to be launched in five minutes or less.

Is “alert five” formal or informal?

alert five is generally slang.