false alarm noun

n [C]

Definition

an occasion when people wrongly believe that something dangerous or unpleasant is happening or will happen

Three fire engines rushed to the school only to discover it was a false alarm.

She thought she was pregnant, but it turned out to be a false alarm (= she discovered she was not).

(Definition of false alarm noun from the Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary & Thesaurus © Cambridge University Press)

Synonyms and related words:

If a problem preys on your mind, you think about it and worry about it a lot

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