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

There was a false alarm after a fire less than a block away from City Hall Friday morning. —Jesse Zanger, CBS News, 17 Apr. 2026

Truelove was arrested and charged with felony tampering with evidence and false report/false alarm. —Stephen Sorace, FOXNews.com, 14 Apr. 2026

Although the fire alarm — dubbed a false alarm — went off no less than 30 separate times throughout the first half of the hour-long presentation, roughly 100 attendees paid close attention. —Rachel Royster, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 13 Apr. 2026

According to Grunsfeld, this is what sustains the Artemis II crewmembers during fearful moments, such as when an indicator suggested a cabin leak that turned out to be a false alarm. —Sally Jenkins, The Atlantic, 8 Apr. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1578, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for false alarm

• arm
• charm
• farm
• harm
• disarm
• forearm
• gendarme
• nonfarm
• rearm
• firearm
• underarm