false alarm
noun
1
: an alarm (such as a fire or burglar alarm) that is set off needlessly
2
: something causing alarm or excitement that proves to be unfounded
Example Sentences
A false alarm drew firefighters to the school. The report that the factory would be closing was a false alarm. He thought he might be having a heart attack, but his chest pains were just a false alarm.
Recent Examples on the Web Human error was responsible for a false alarm last month at Seabrook Nuclear Power Station in Seabrook, N.H., that sent patrons at nearby Hampton Beach scrambling to evacuate, officials said Thursday. 
Jeremy C. Fox, BostonGlobe.com, 11 Aug. 2022 The false alarm started when a passerby spotted the large pooch on the top of an apartment building. People Staff, PEOPLE.com, 16 Mar. 2022 The fluffy false alarm follows a widespread culling of the house pets in December and early January. Chris Morris, Fortune, 28 Jan. 2022 Fees that will not change include the $40 cost for an open burning permit and the fees for a false alarm, which range from $0 for the first alarm up to $1,000 for the fifth and subsequent alarms. Phil Diehl, San Diego Union-Tribune, 6 Dec. 2021 Kourtney Kardashian and Travis Barker have actually, officially tied the knot more than a month after a false alarm, TMZ reports. Brendan Morrow, The Week, 16 May 2022 After a false alarm earlier this year, the Bridgerton cast is back together for another matching season. Samantha Olson, Seventeen, 4 Jan. 2022 No one knows for sure, and this may all turn out to be a false alarm. Caitlin Long, Forbes, 4 June 2022 That means that even though this latest discovery was a false alarm, malicious dependency confusion attacks do occur in the wild. Dan Goodin, Ars Technica, 11 May 2022 See More
Jeremy C. Fox, BostonGlobe.com, 11 Aug. 2022 The false alarm started when a passerby spotted the large pooch on the top of an apartment building. People Staff, PEOPLE.com, 16 Mar. 2022 The fluffy false alarm follows a widespread culling of the house pets in December and early January. Chris Morris, Fortune, 28 Jan. 2022 Fees that will not change include the $40 cost for an open burning permit and the fees for a false alarm, which range from $0 for the first alarm up to $1,000 for the fifth and subsequent alarms. Phil Diehl, San Diego Union-Tribune, 6 Dec. 2021 Kourtney Kardashian and Travis Barker have actually, officially tied the knot more than a month after a false alarm, TMZ reports. Brendan Morrow, The Week, 16 May 2022 After a false alarm earlier this year, the Bridgerton cast is back together for another matching season. Samantha Olson, Seventeen, 4 Jan. 2022 No one knows for sure, and this may all turn out to be a false alarm. Caitlin Long, Forbes, 4 June 2022 That means that even though this latest discovery was a false alarm, malicious dependency confusion attacks do occur in the wild. Dan Goodin, Ars Technica, 11 May 2022 See More Word History
First Known Use
1578, in the meaning defined at sense 1