Dictionary

false start en · NOUN

Meanings

1. The act of an athlete starting a race before being signaled to do so.
2. The act of an offensive player moving across the line of scrimmage prior to the snap.
3. An attempt at something that does not work, requiring one to start over.
   • He spent nearly 20 years developing the movie, keeping at it through false starts and heartbreaking dead ends. And when he got the chance to make it, he went all in, devising entire societies full of baroquely souped-up death machines and screaming war-cults. 2017 December 1, Tom Breihan, “Mad Max: Fury Road might already be the best action movie ever made”, in The Onion AV Club, archived from the original on 06 Jan 2018:
   • After a "false start" that was too vigorous, overloading the motors, No. D171 made a very successful unassisted run from Tyne Dock to Consett. 1962 December, “Motive Power Miscellany: North Eastern Region”, in Modern Railways, page 422:

Forms

Synonyms

flyer · jump-start

Translations (16)

is þjófstart (starting before the signal) · ca sortida falsa (starting before the signal) · sv tjuvstart (starting before the signal) · es salida en falso (starting before the signal) · pl falstart (starting before the signal) · cmn 假起動 /假起动 (starting before the signal) · es salida nula (starting before the signal) · fi varaslähtö (starting before the signal) · no tjuvstart (starting before the signal) · de Fehlstart (starting before the signal) · ja 不正スタート (starting before the signal) · fr faux départ (starting before the signal) · ru фальста́рт (starting before the signal) · cmn 搶跑 /抢跑 (starting before the signal) · it falsa partenza (starting before the signal) · ja フライング (starting before the signal)