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

Several large banks now report that such behavioral systems have sharply reduced the number of false alarms while catching more genuine fraud. — Dennis-Kenji Kipker, Forbes.com, 22 July 2026

In 2017, a private app connected to the institute’s alert network was hacked and issued a false alarm. — Andrei Popoviciu, The Dial, 21 July 2026

But at least 70% of the time, those visits ended up being a false alarm. — Rachel Hale, USA Today, 19 July 2026

Artificial intelligence helps the sensors tell potential threats from false alarms, according to Acoem. — Tiffani Jackson, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 8 July 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