false start

 Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English 5++朗文当代英语 5++LDOCE 5++朗文 5++ˌfalse ˈstart noun [countable]  1  START DOING somethingan unsuccessful attempt to begin a process or event 失败的开端 After several false starts, the concert finally began. 音乐会几次耽误以后，终于开始了。2. START DOING somethinga situation at the beginning of a race when one competitor starts too soon and the race has to start again 〔赛跑开始时的〕抢跑，起跑犯规

Examples from the Corpus

false start• On the first false start, the tape caught round some horses' necks.• It takes some arranging, and at least one false start, to get the conference call together.

ˌfalse ˈstart nounChineseSyllable  

a to or an process attempt event begin unsuccessful Corpus

false start
ˌfalse ˈstart noun [countable]
1. an unsuccessful attempt to begin a process or event:
    After several false starts, the concert finally began.
2. a situation at the beginning of a race when one competitor starts too soon and the race has to start again

false startBrE /ˌfɔːls ˈstɑːt/ 🔊NAmE /ˌfɔːls ˈstɑːrt/ 🔊 nounan attempt to begin sth that is not successful 不成功的开端；起步失误◆After a number of false starts, she finally found a job she liked. 她起初失败了几次，之后终于找到了喜欢的工作。🔊🔊(sport 体育) a situation when sb taking part in a race starts before the official signal has been given 起跑犯规；抢跑