false start

US: (fôls′stärt′)

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2025

false′ start′, 

1. Sport a premature start by one or more of the contestants, as in a swimming or track event, necessitating calling the field back to start again.
2. a failure to begin an undertaking successfully.
• 1805–15

false-start  (fôls′stärt′), v.i. [Sports.]

1. Sport to leave the starting line or position too early and thereby necessitate repeating the signal to begin a race.

• 1805–15