false alarm
noun
1
: an alarm (such as a fire or burglar alarm) that is set off needlessly
2
: something causing alarm or excitement that proves to be unfounded
Examples of false alarm in a Sentence
A false alarm drew firefighters to the school.
The report that the factory would be closing was a false alarm.
He thought he might be having a heart attack, but his chest pains were just a false alarm.
Recent Examples on the Web
According to reports, the fire was a false alarm and no real emergency, just a perfect plot twist.
—
Jasmine Baehr, FOXNews.com, 16 Apr. 2025
Cruz said the Secret Service and the Navy were warned not to use the same spectrum before the false alarm incidents.
—Sam Sweeney, ABC News, 27 Mar. 2025
In 1983, a potential nuclear exchange was averted when an officer in the Soviet Air Defence Force, Stanislav Petrov, correctly assessed that a signal of an incoming missile attack was a false alarm and did not trigger an urgent warning to his chain of command.
—Mike O'Sullivan, Forbes.com, 29 Mar. 2025
If the unemployment rate remains at around 4% in upcoming reports, then its likely that some of these other economic signals prove to be a false alarm and that any dip in growth is perhaps due to more technical factors.
—Simon Moore, Forbes, 5 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for false alarm
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Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
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Jasmine Baehr, FOXNews.com, 16 Apr. 2025
Cruz said the Secret Service and the Navy were warned not to use the same spectrum before the false alarm incidents.
—Sam Sweeney, ABC News, 27 Mar. 2025
In 1983, a potential nuclear exchange was averted when an officer in the Soviet Air Defence Force, Stanislav Petrov, correctly assessed that a signal of an incoming missile attack was a false alarm and did not trigger an urgent warning to his chain of command.
—Mike O'Sullivan, Forbes.com, 29 Mar. 2025
If the unemployment rate remains at around 4% in upcoming reports, then its likely that some of these other economic signals prove to be a false alarm and that any dip in growth is perhaps due to more technical factors.
—Simon Moore, Forbes, 5 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for false alarm
Cite this Entry
“False alarm.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/false%20alarm. Accessed 22 Apr. 2025.
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