false step

American  

noun

1. a stumble.

2. an unwise or blundering act.

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false step British  

noun

1. an unwise action

2. a stumble; slip

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false step Idioms  

1. A stumble or blunder, as in Making a down payment without securing a mortgage was clearly a false step. This term transfers physical stumbling or tripping to other enterprises. [c. 1700]

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Example Sentences

In retrospect, its uncompromising litmus tests and chilly demeanor were real weaknesses, creating a pervading fear that any false step could expel one from good graces, and that a return trip was always, always treacherous.

From Slate • Apr. 13, 2026

Rather, it’s the poignant devastation of knowing one false step or bad decision could reshape your life that knocks us over.

From Salon • Apr. 13, 2025

Not everything works in the staging: When the action is this exposed, any false step is magnified.

From New York Times • Nov. 21, 2021

One false step can lead to a fall into a stream underneath.

From Washington Post • Dec. 13, 2018

It’s worth looking at this false step before discussing Descartes’s influence in areas where he was more right than wrong.

From "The Scientists" by John Gribbin