D-notice means: A defence notice; an official request to news editors not to publish or broadcast items on specified subjects for reasons of national security (replaced in 1993 with the DA-notice).. The word is mostly archaic or historical; you will only encounter it in old texts, period drama, or school history rather than current teen conversation. There is no real cause for parental concern; it is descriptive vocabulary rather than risky behaviour. As a place or proper-name reference it is purely descriptive.
D-notice
(UK, historical) A defence notice; an official request to news editors not to publish or broadcast items on specified subjects for reasons of national security (replaced in 1993 with the DA-notice).
Definitions
UK
#1·Apr 27, 2026UK
(UK, historical) A defence notice; an official request to news editors not to publish or broadcast items on specified subjects for reasons of national security (replaced in 1993 with the DA-notice).
For parents
D-notice means: A defence notice; an official request to news editors not to publish or broadcast items on specified subjects for reasons of national security (replaced in 1993 with the DA-notice).. The word is mostly archaic or historical; you will only encounter it in old texts, period drama, or school history rather than current teen conversation. There is no real cause for parental concern; it is descriptive vocabulary rather than risky behaviour. As a place or proper-name reference it is purely descriptive.
For ESL learners
D-notice means: A defence notice; an official request to news editors not to publish or broadcast items on specified subjects for reasons of national security (replaced in 1993 with the. Register: neutral, standard English. A common learner mistake is using the word in a register it does not fit, or assuming a single global meaning; native speakers immediately notice when slang appears in formal contexts, so always check the surrounding register before producing it yourself.
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For specific readers
Why is this section here?
Slang is read by different audiences for very different reasons. The For parents view re-explains the term in plain, non-judgemental language so a caregiver can understand what their child means without needing the surrounding subculture. The For English learners view focuses on register (when it's safe to use), formal alternatives, and common mistakes — what a textbook won't teach you.
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UK
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🇬🇧About British & Irish slang slang
UK and Irish slang — Cockney, Scouse, Geordie, Yorkshire, Glaswegian, Brummie, Welsh, West Country, plus Irish English. Centuries of regional dialects feeding into modern British and Irish street talk.
See all British & Irish slang slang on Slangora.
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Other words near "D-notice" (D)
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Related terms
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Semantically related
- DA-notice86%
(UK) A defence advisory notice, an official (but unenforceable) request to news editors not to publish or broadcast items on specified subjects for reasons of national security.
- notice60%
(countable) A formal notification or warning.
- notice59%
(countable) A written or printed announcement.
- DMCA56%
(informal, transitive, Internet) To serve a Digital Millennium Copyright Act notification against, so as to have infringing material taken down.
- publishment52%
(US, historical) A public notice of intended marriage, previously required by the laws of some states of New England.