false alarm

noun

: an alarm (such as a fire or burglar alarm) that is set off needlessly

: 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 An investigation determined it to be a false alarm, and the royals' schedule resumed after a brief hiatus. —

Janine Henni, Peoplemag, 16 July 2024 In other words, those early rodent cases of pancreatitis were probably a false alarm. —

American College Of Lifestyle Medicine, EverydayHealth.com, 15 July 2024 Many false alarms occurred during the nuclear age, ranging from the trivial to very serious. —

Chas Newkey-Burden, The Week Uk, theweek, 22 Feb. 2024 But just imagine what would have taken place had a similar false alarm occurred in Pyongyang rather than Honolulu. —

Scott D. Sagan, Foreign Affairs, 15 Oct. 2018 See all Example Sentences for false alarm

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'false alarm.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.