false start

noun

: a premature start (as of a race or football play)

: 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 The Jets committed five false start penalties in a loss to the Denver Broncos. —

Rohan Nadkarni, NBC News, 9 Oct. 2024 The offense was flagged for five pre-snap false start penalties. —

Jeff Faraudo, The Mercury News, 21 Sep. 2024 The away fans helped force four false start penalties on the Chargers in the first half. —

Thuc Nhi Nguyen, Los Angeles Times, 8 Sep. 2024 After a false start by the Bears, Mendoza took off on a third-and-12 scramble and was flattened by a hit from Hurricanes linebacker Wesley Bissainthe. —

Jeff Faraudo, The Mercury News, 5 Oct. 2024 See all Example Sentences for false start

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'false start.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.