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 1805–15

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 ]

/ ˈfɔlsˈstɑrt /

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 1805–15

How to use false start in a sentence

Some statewide apps in the US have similarly suffered from false starts and relaunches.
Why some countries suspended, replaced, or relaunched their covid apps|Lindsay Muscato|December 23, 2020|MIT Technology Review
The development’s complicated 17-year history, marked by ownership changes, false starts, and broken promises, had already put American Dream in a precarious situation.
The death of the department store and the American middle class|Jason Del Rey|November 30, 2020|Vox
We can’t have any false starts or penalties or anything like that.
Navy is back in action at last but sputters to a 10-7 loss to Memphis|Kareem Copeland|November 29, 2020|Washington Post
Boswell, a sixth-year veteran, had missed his first attempt from 54 yards out, but a false start penalty gave him a second chance.
Steelers stay unbeaten, Chargers drop another heartbreaker in NFL Week 9|Cindy Boren, Mark Maske, Des Bieler|November 9, 2020|Washington Post

Bowell missed from 54 yards, but the Steelers were called for a false start.
Steelers stay unbeaten, Chargers drop another heartbreaker in NFL Week 9|Cindy Boren, Mark Maske, Des Bieler|November 9, 2020|Washington Post
And not just sick in the body but in your mind, because you start obsessing.
How Taryn Toomey’s ‘The Class’ Became New York’s Latest Fitness Craze|Lizzie Crocker|January 9, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Between 25 and 30, you’re trying to decide how much longer before you start growing a beard and calling yourself ‘Daddy.
Freaking Out About Age Gaps in Gay Relationships Is Homophobic|Samantha Allen|January 9, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Kickstarter is one start-up platform that seems to have realized the danger.
Design Your Own Dinosaur: The Era of Custom DNA|Justin Jones|January 8, 2015|DAILY BEAST
But maybe you have to start somewhere else — with Lamont Waltman Marvin, Monty, his father, the Chief, the old man.
The Story Behind Lee Marvin’s Liberty Valance Smile|Robert Ward|January 3, 2015|DAILY BEAST
So Marvin had the old showbiz glamour in his life from the start.
The Story Behind Lee Marvin’s Liberty Valance Smile|Robert Ward|January 3, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Keep closely covered with a bell glass and, in a few weeks, more or less, the baby Ferns will start to put in an appearance.
How to Know the Ferns|S. Leonard Bastin
The smoke from her kitchen fire rose white as she put in dry sumac to give it a start.
The Bondboy|George W. (George Washington) Ogden
But the sheer quantity of the inflated currency and false money forces prices higher still.
The Unsolved Riddle of Social Justice|Stephen Leacock
There are sentimental children, as there are sentimental adults, who seem never happier than when the tears are ready to start.
Children's Ways|James Sully
But the day he planned to start was very cold—the mercury stood twenty-seven below zero.
The Homesteader|Oscar Micheaux

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]