false start
noun
1
: a premature start (as of a race or football play)
2
: an unsuccessful attempt to begin something (such as a career)
Examples of false start in a Sentence
If someone makes a false start, the race is immediately stopped and the runners have to start again.
After several false starts, the researchers were finally able to identify the virus causing the epidemic.
Recent Examples on the Web
Buffalo had a 2nd-and-8 from its own 40, but a false start penalty and then a sack led to a 3rd-and-21 the offense couldn’t convert, forcing a punt.
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NBC News, 13 Jan. 2025
The Bears’ final drive of the game, which ended with the interception, saw a false start penalty on fourth-and-inches and Chicago needing to burn a timeout on second-and-10 with the game clock already stopped.
—Kevin Fishbain, The Athletic, 27 Dec. 2024
An Indiana false start to turn a third-and-1 into a third-and-6 is the critical gaffe that paves the way.
—Joe Rexrode, The Athletic, 24 Nov. 2024
The subscriber plan comes more than a year after CNN’s false start into the streaming marketplace.
—Los Angeles Times, Boston Herald, 2 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for false start 
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NBC News, 13 Jan. 2025
The Bears’ final drive of the game, which ended with the interception, saw a false start penalty on fourth-and-inches and Chicago needing to burn a timeout on second-and-10 with the game clock already stopped.
—Kevin Fishbain, The Athletic, 27 Dec. 2024
An Indiana false start to turn a third-and-1 into a third-and-6 is the critical gaffe that paves the way.
—Joe Rexrode, The Athletic, 24 Nov. 2024
The subscriber plan comes more than a year after CNN’s false start into the streaming marketplace.
—Los Angeles Times, Boston Herald, 2 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for false start
Dictionary Entries Near false start
Cite this Entry
“False start.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/false%20start. Accessed 22 Jan. 2025.
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