false start

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false start

noun false starts

The act of an athlete starting a race before being signaled to do so.
Similar: jump-start, flyer
The act of an offensive player moving across the line of scrimmage prior to the snap.
An attempt at something that does not work, requiring one to start over. After a "false start" that was too vigorous, overloading the motors, No. D171 made a very successful unassisted run from Tyne Dock to Consett.

Translations

Every language

noun starting before the signal

Español	salida en falso, salida nula
日本語	フライング furaingu, 不正スタート fusei sutāto
中文	假起動 /假起动 jiǎ qǐdòng, 搶跑 /抢跑 qiǎngpǎo
Français	faux départ
Deutsch	Fehlstart
Italiano	falsa partenza
Русский	фальста́рт falʹstárt

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MLA

"false start." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/false%20start. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026.

APA

false start. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/false%20start

Chicago

"false start." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/false%20start.

BibTeX

@misc{false_start_2026,
  title = {false start},
  howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://micwyn.com/word/false%20start},
  urldate = {2026-11-06}
}