false fire alarm

Meanings

1. 1nouncountable

   An alarm that goes off in a building when there is no fire, caused by a fault, a mistake or a prank.

   Grammar: Countable: one false fire alarm, three false fire alarms.

   Patterns

   • a false fire alarm at somewhere
   • set off a false fire alarm

   Classes stopped for ten minutes because of a false fire alarm.

   Burnt toast set off a false fire alarm in the office.

   Firefighters arrived quickly, only to find it was a false fire alarm.

2. 2nouncountablefigurative

   A warning or scare that seems serious but turns out to be unnecessary.

   Grammar: Used figuratively: The rumor was a false fire alarm.

   Patterns

   • turn out to be a false fire alarm

   The rumor about layoffs turned out to be a false fire alarm.

   Her cough seemed worrying, but it was just a false fire alarm.

Word forms

Common combinations

set off a false fire alarm

Someone set off a false fire alarm during the exam.

turn out to be a false fire alarm

The scare turned out to be a false fire alarm.

respond to a false fire alarm

Crews responded to a false fire alarm at the school.

cause a false fire alarm

Steam from the shower caused a false fire alarm.

investigate a false fire alarm

Staff investigated the false fire alarm.

Synonyms and how they differ

false alarm

False alarm is the broader phrase for any mistaken warning, while false fire alarm refers specifically to fire warnings.

hoax call

A hoax call is a deliberate deception, but a false fire alarm may be an accident.

scare

A scare focuses on the fright, not on the alarm that caused it.

red herring

A red herring misleads attention away from the truth, whereas a false fire alarm just proves unnecessary.

Opposites

Word family

alarm noun

a warning signal

alarm verb

to frighten or worry someone

alarming adjective

causing worry

false adjective

not true or real

Commonly confused: false fire alarm or fire drill?

Practice

Make it your own

Write a sentence using “false fire alarm”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

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