false move
Americannoun
-
a movement that may be interpreted as threatening.
-
an act or action that can cause trouble or damage; mistake.
If the bus driver had made one false move, we would have skidded off the icy road.
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
I can’t think about my job or how my body looks when I’m gripping the bar with all my strength, one false move away from hurtling to the mat.
From Slate ● Mar. 11, 2023
His only false move may have been granting Lucas merchandising rights rather than a raise when “American Graffiti” became a hit.
From Washington Post ● Mar. 3, 2022
One false move can trap a franchise for decades.
From New York Times ● Oct. 20, 2021
One false move and a career could be ruined.
From Textbooks ● Jan. 1, 2020
One false move would’ve stopped any chances of a come up.
From "On the Come Up" by Angie Thomas
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
