false start

¹ American  

noun

1. Sports.  a premature start by one or more of the contestants, as in a swimming or track event, necessitating calling the field back to start again.

2. a failure to begin an undertaking successfully.

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false-start ² American  

[fawls-stahrt] / ˈfɔlsˈstɑrt /

verb (used without object)

Sports.

1. to leave the starting line or position too early and thereby necessitate repeating the signal to begin a race.

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false start Idioms  

1. A wrong beginning, as in After several false starts she finally managed to write the first chapter. The term originated in racing, where it refers to beginning a race before the starting signal has been given. The expression was soon transferred to other kinds of failed beginning. [Early 1800s]

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Etymology

Origin of false start¹

First recorded in 1805–15

Origin of false-start²

First recorded in 1805–15

Example Sentences

A third and one from the one-yard line that turned into a missed field goal after a false start stunted the red-zone opportunity.

From Los Angeles Times

To say he has had a false start at Anfield is a masterpiece of understatement.

From BBC

Even if the launch is a false start, it's unlikely to change the general trend.

From BBC

These include Banksy’s shredded “Girl without Balloon,” a 5,000-year-old Mesopotamian sculpture known as the Guennol Lioness and several paintings including Andy Warhol’s “Shot Orange Marilyn” and Jasper Johns’s “False Start.”

From The Wall Street Journal

Then, on the doorstep of a score, USC committed a false start on fourth and short.

From Los Angeles Times