How to Use false start in a Sentence

false start

noun
  • 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.
  • But the big date was a false start.
    — Noelle Phillips, Denver Post, 18 June 2026
  • He was also flagged for a false start.
    — Doug Kyed, Boston Herald, 16 Aug. 2025
  • Bengals' have false start then a 24-yard punt.
    — Joe Nguyen, Denver Post, 29 Sep. 2025
  • His false start prompted the team to settle for a field goal.
    — BostonGlobe.com, 27 Sep. 2021
  • Peart was called for a false start and two holding penalties.
    — Jordan Sigler, MSNBC Newsweek, 13 Oct. 2025
  • The offense was flagged for five pre-snap false start penalties.
    — Jeff Faraudo, The Mercury News, 21 Sep. 2024
  • That false start can create long-term problems.
    — Kelly Werthmann, CBS News, 23 Dec. 2025
  • Then Denver has a false start penalty.
    — Joe Nguyen, Denver Post, 6 Nov. 2025
  • Hartman had just been kicked out of the faceoff circle for a false start.
    — Dave Campbell, ajc, 21 May 2021
  • Trigg’s false start changed the distance and forced Ole Miss to punt.
    — Mark Heim | [email protected], al, 1 Oct. 2022
  • The aforementioned false start leads a lap for him and the whole offense.
    — Albert Breer, SI.com, 7 June 2018
  • Wynn also flinched on the final drive and should have been called for a false start, but got away with it.
    — BostonGlobe.com, 6 Oct. 2021
  • 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
  • On 4th-and-1, the Bulldogs were pushed back five yards on a false start.
    — Rob Tate, Houston Chronicle, 21 Oct. 2017
  • Tackle Larry Borom is flagged for a false start.
    — Miami Herald, 31 Oct. 2025
  • The rookie tackle let up a sack and was penalized for a false start.
    — Doug Kyed, Hartford Courant, 9 Feb. 2026
  • But the renaming of the Clear Creek gate proved to be a false start.
    — Sig Christenson, San Antonio Express-News, 17 Apr. 2023
  • He was flagged twice on the same series — to open the third quarter — for holding and a false start.
    — Blair Kerkhoff, Kansas City Star, 12 Sep. 2025
  • Even a Vaitai false start in the red zone didn’t dissuade the Eagles.
    — Jeff McLane, Philly.com, 24 Oct. 2017
  • First, right guard Shaq Mason had to go for a run after a false start.
    — Jim McBride, BostonGlobe.com, 1 Aug. 2019
  • Arkansas had a false start then ran out the clock with two Trelon Smith runs.
    — Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, Arkansas Online, 12 Dec. 2020
  • That frustration of that false start was nothing compared to the bind that lay in store.
    — Ryan Coleman, Entertainment Weekly, 5 Mar. 2026
  • Amari Niblack committed a false start to force a third-and-10.
    — Nick Alvarez | [email protected], al, 16 Sep. 2023
  • The first Cleveland penalty of the game was when Wills was flagged for a false start.
    — Terry Pluto, cleveland, 3 Oct. 2021
  • Just as Lutheran West was nearing the goal line, a false start set them five yards back.
    — Kyle Kelly | Special To Cleveland.com, cleveland.com, 13 Sep. 2019
  • But in view of the bad blood and false starts of the past 12 months, neither seems likely in the short term.
    — Chris Bryant | Bloomberg, Washington Post, 11 Oct. 2019
  • Fullback Alec Ingold was flagged for a false start before the first snap.
    — Miami Herald, 9 Nov. 2025
  • The Skippers then went for a two-point conversion after a false start packed them up.
    — Brian Roach, Boston Herald, 5 Dec. 2025

Some of 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.

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