false alarm

noun

1. a false report of a fire in progress to a fire department.
2. something that excites unfounded alarm or expectation:

   Rumors of an impending transit strike proved to be a false alarm.

false alarm

noun

1. a needless alarm given in error or with intent to deceive
2. an occasion on which danger is perceived but fails to materialize

Word History and Origins

Origin of false alarm¹

First recorded in 1570–80

Idioms and Phrases

A warning signal that is groundless, made either by mistake or as a deliberate deception. For example, The rumor that we were all going to get fired was just a false alarm , or Setting off a false alarm is a criminal offense . This expression, first recorded in 1579, today is often used for a report of a nonexistent fire.

Example Sentences

Mistaking a false alarm for a nuclear-missile attack becomes more likely amid the stresses, fatigue and paranoia that come with the protracted war in Ukraine and extending war into Russia.

From Salon

Mistaking a false alarm for a nuclear-missile attack becomes more likely amid the stresses, fatigue and paranoia that come with the protracted war in Ukraine and extending war into Russia.

From Salon

Possessing such potentially world-ending systems only increases the possibility of an unintended nuclear conflict prompted by a false alarm.

From Salon

A Los Angeles civil jury ruled against Black Lives Matter-L.A. co-founder Melina Abdullah on Thursday, finding that two police officers were not liable for their response to a reported hostage situation in her home that turned out to be a false alarm.

From Los Angeles Times

A drone arrives, and its camera captures footage showing the suspected weapon is actually a lighter shaped like a firearm, preventing a false alarm.

From Los Angeles Times