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
Watch the crowd cheer for Karen Read as she's acquitted of murder
Q: Before coming to a final decision on Wednesday, the jury had a verdict false alarm.
—
Elise Hammond, CNN Money, 19 June 2025
California As the summer harvest season launches, confusion and uncertainty hang over California fields
June 18, 2025
Some farmworkers, fearful of raids — partly because of false alarms spread on social media — don’t want to risk going to work, fueling a labor shortage, Little said in an interview.
—Queenie Wong, Los Angeles Times, 19 June 2025
This advancement can be crucial in reducing false alarms while improving the response time in actual emergencies.
—Joe Trusty, Forbes.com, 26 Mar. 2025
While many alerts were serious, many others turned out to be false alarms, like a student essay about the importance of consent or a goofy chat between friends.
—Claire Bryan and Sharon Lurye, The Christian Science Monitor, 12 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for false alarm
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
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Elise Hammond, CNN Money, 19 June 2025
California As the summer harvest season launches, confusion and uncertainty hang over California fields
June 18, 2025
Some farmworkers, fearful of raids — partly because of false alarms spread on social media — don’t want to risk going to work, fueling a labor shortage, Little said in an interview.
—Queenie Wong, Los Angeles Times, 19 June 2025
This advancement can be crucial in reducing false alarms while improving the response time in actual emergencies.
—Joe Trusty, Forbes.com, 26 Mar. 2025
While many alerts were serious, many others turned out to be false alarms, like a student essay about the importance of consent or a goofy chat between friends.
—Claire Bryan and Sharon Lurye, The Christian Science Monitor, 12 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 4 Jul. 2025.
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