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false alarm

noun [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 was not).Threats and warningsFaults and mistakes
(Definition of false alarm noun from the Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary & Thesaurus © Cambridge University Press)

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