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false start
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noun
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.
a failure to begin an undertaking successfully.
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Origin of false start
First recorded in 1805â15
Words nearby false start
false relation, false rib, false ribs, false scorpion, false Solomon's-seal, false start, false step, false suture, false teeth, false topaz, falsetto
Other definitions for false start (2 of 2)
false-start
[ fawls-stahrt ]
/ ËfÉlsËstÉrt /
verb (used without object) Sports.
to leave the starting line or position too early and thereby necessitate repeating the signal to begin a race.
Origin of false-start
First recorded in 1805â15
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022
How to use false start in a sentence
Other Idioms and Phrases with false start
false start
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]
The American HeritageÂź Idioms Dictionary
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