false alarm

American  

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.

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false alarm British  

noun

1. a needless alarm given in error or with intent to deceive

2. an occasion on which danger is perceived but fails to materialize

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false alarm Idioms  

1. 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.

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Etymology

Origin of false alarm

First recorded in 1570–80

Example Sentences

Chronic pain, however, continues even after the injury has healed, creating a kind of false alarm that can last for weeks, months, or years.

From Science Daily • Apr. 27, 2026

The ShakeAlert computer system that warns about the imminent arrival of shaking from earthquakes sent out a false alarm Thursday morning for a magnitude 5.9 temblor in Carson City, Nev., that did not actually happen.

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 4, 2025

However, at 06:38 on Friday, he explained the "unknown vessel" was a false alarm.

From BBC • Aug. 8, 2025

What’s a red flag, what’s a false alarm and what’s already a five alarm fire.

From Slate • Jan. 25, 2025

Absurdly, I found myself hoping it was a false alarm.

From "The Secret History" by Donna Tartt