false alarm
Use False alarm in a sentencefalse alarm
noun
1.
a false report of a fire in progress to a fire department.
2.
something that excites unfounded alarm or expectation: Rumors of an impending transit strike proved to be a false alarm.
Origin:
1570–80
1570–80
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
Cite This Source
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Link To false alarm
Collins
World English Dictionary
| false alarm | |
| —n | |
| 1. | a needless alarm given in error or with intent to deceive |
| 2. | an occasion on which danger is perceived but fails to materialize |
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
Cite This Source
00:10
False alarm
is always a great word to know.
So is quincunx. Does it mean:
| a calculus or concretion found in the stomach or intestines of certain animals, esp. ruminants, formerly reputed to be an effective remedy for poison. |
| an arrangement of five objects, as trees, in a square or rectangle, one at each corner and one in the middle. |
American Heritage
Idioms & Phrases
false alarm
A warning signal that is groundless, made either by mistake or as a deliberate deception. For example, The rumor that we were all going to get fired was just a false alarm, or Setting off a false alarm is a criminal offense. This expression, first recorded in 1579, today is often used for a report of a nonexistent fire.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.
Copyright © 1997. Published by Houghton Mifflin.
Cite This Source
Copyright © 1997. Published by Houghton Mifflin.
Cite This Source
Example sentences
Thank you for taking the first step in false alarm prevention.
After a false alarm which turned out to be a transmission from an aircraft, no signals of extraterrestrial origin were reported.
It was a false alarm, and service on all lines was restored by early afternoon.
If the home-loving citizen would sit down and think about it, he would realize that this is a false alarm.
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