false move

noun

1. a movement that may be interpreted as threatening.
2. 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

Police said they had been following La Porta’s online activity, including financial movements, and waited for him to make a false move that could tip them off to his whereabouts.

From Seattle Times

“It could have ended in severe physical injury or death if they made a false move while this stop was going on,” Mr. Hampton said.

From New York Times

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

Montgomery’s fibula snapped; in one fractional false move, Leno had broken his teammate’s leg.

From Washington Post

And yet he knows: One false move would end all this.

From Seattle Times

Related Words

• aberration
• blunder
• confusion
• fault
• gaffe
• inaccuracy
• lapse
• miscalculation
• misconception
• misstep
• omission
• oversight
• snafu