false alarm

noun

|Updated on: 18 Aug 2018

Examples: false alarm in a Sentence

Definition of false alarm

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

See false alarm defined for English-language learners

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 of false alarm from the Web

Pamela Barr, who lives in the building, said she was awakened by fire alarms and didn’t panic because false alarms are not uncommon.

— christopher weber, The Seattle Times, "Long Beach fire captain fatally shot at retirement-home blaze," 26 June 2018
Pamela Barr, who lives in the building, said she was awakened by fire alarms and didn’t panic because false alarms are not uncommon.

— Washington Post, "Nursing home resident arrested after CA firefighter killed," 25 June 2018
Pamela Barr, who lives in the building, said she was awakened by fire alarms and didn’t panic because false alarms are not uncommon.

— author: christopher weber, michael balsamo, Anchorage Daily News, "Beloved firefighter fatally shot at retirement home," 25 June 2018
Pamela Barr, who lives in the building, said she was awakened by fire alarms and didn’t panic because false alarms are not uncommon.

— Time, "Nursing Home Resident Arrested After Fire Captain Killed, 2 Wounded in Shooting at California Retirement Home," 25 June 2018
Pamela Barr, who lives in the building, said she was awakened by fire alarms and didn't panic because false alarms are not uncommon.

— christopher weber and michael balsamo, Fox News, "California firefighter shot, killed at retirement home," 25 June 2018
Pamela Barr, who lives in the building, said she was awakened by fire alarms and didn't panic because false alarms are not uncommon.

— crimesider staff, CBS News, "Suspect arrested in fatal shooting of California firefighter," 25 June 2018
King acknowledged that the system occasionally has false alarms, if someone falls asleep in the bathroom, for example.

— j.d. capelouto, BostonGlobe.com, "Anti-motion detector preventing overdose-related deaths in public bathrooms," 26 June 2018
It was later determined to be a false alarm, but the rest of the night's events were canceled while the system was checked.

— bree burkitt, azcentral, "Phoenix Comic Fest will continue after Saturday's false alarm," 27 May 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'false alarm.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

First Known Use of false alarm

1578

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year

NEW! Time Traveler

FALSE ALARM Defined for English Language Learners

false alarm

noun

Definition of false alarm for English Language Learners

: an alarm (such as a fire alarm) that is set off when it is not needed
: something that causes people to wrongly believe that something bad or dangerous is going to happen