red
noun
any of various colors resembling the color of blood; the primary color at one extreme end of the visible spectrum, an effect of light with a wavelength between 610 and 780 nanometers.
red
1 American
[red]
/ rɛd /
noun
-
reds
plural
-
any of various colors resembling the color of blood; the primary color at one extreme end of the visible spectrum, an effect of light with a wavelength between 610 and 780 nanometers.
-
something red.
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Older Slang: Usually Disparaging. Often Red a radical leftist in politics, especially a Communist.
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Informal. red light.
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Informal. red wine.
a glass of red.
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Also called red devil. Also called red bird,. Also called red doll. Slang. a capsule of the drug secobarbital, usually red in color.
He was caught with a half dozen reds in the bottom of his pack of cigarettes.
adjective
-
redder,
comparative
-
reddest
superlative
-
of the color red; of or like the color of blood.
a red rose.
-
reddish purple in color.
red wine made from purple grapes.
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orange, golden brown, or reddish brown in color.
red hair.
-
having distinctive areas or markings of red.
a red robin.
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red eyes from allergies.
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(of the face) flushed or blushing, as from shame.
cheeks red with embarrassment.
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of or indicating a state of financial loss or indebtedness.
the red column in the ledger.
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Politics. relating to, supporting, or belonging to the Republican Party in the United States; Republican.
This is big news in that it flips a red Senate seat to blue.
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Older Slang: Usually Disparaging.
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radically left politically.
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Often Red communist.
Red China.
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Older Use: Disparaging and Offensive. relating to, noting, or characteristic of North American Indian peoples.
idioms
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see red, to become very angry; become enraged.
Snobs make her see red.
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paint the town red. paint.
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in the red, operating at a loss or being in debt (opposed to in the black).
The newspaper strike put many businesses in the red.
red
2
American
[red]
/ rɛd /
verb (used with object)
red,
redding
Red
3
American
[red]
/ rɛd /
noun
-
a male or female given name.
-
a nickname typically given to someone with red hair.
red-
4
American
-red
5
American
red
1
British
/ rɛd /
noun
-
any of a group of colours, such as that of a ripe tomato or fresh blood, that lie at one end of the visible spectrum, next to orange, and are perceived by the eye when light in the approximate wavelength range 740–620 nanometres falls on the retina. Red is the complementary colour of cyan and forms a set of primary colours with blue and green
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a pigment or dye of or producing these colours
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red cloth or clothing
dressed in red
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a red ball in snooker, billiards, etc
-
(in roulette and other gambling games) one of two colours on which players may place even bets, the other being black
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Also called: inner. archery a red ring on a target, between the blue and the gold, scoring seven points
-
informal in debit; owing money
-
informal to become very angry
adjective
-
of the colour red
-
reddish in colour or having parts or marks that are reddish
red hair
red deer
-
having the face temporarily suffused with blood, being a sign of anger, shame, etc
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(of the complexion) rosy; florid
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(of the eyes) bloodshot
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(of the hands) stained with blood, as after committing murder
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bloody or violent
red revolution
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(of wine) made from black grapes and coloured by their skins
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denoting the highest degree of urgency in an emergency; used by the police and the army and informally (esp in the phrase red alert )
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relating to, supporting, or representing the Republican Party Compare blue
verb
Red
2
British
/ rɛd /
adjective
-
Communist, Socialist, or Soviet
-
radical, leftist, or revolutionary
noun
-
a member or supporter of a Communist or Socialist Party or a national of a state having such a government, esp the former Soviet Union
-
a radical, leftist, or revolutionary
red
3
British
/ rɛd /
verb
red
More Idioms
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Adjectives
Etymology
Origin of red1
First recorded before 900; Middle English red, Old English rēad; cognate with German rot, Dutch rood, Old Norse raudhr, Latin rūfus, ruber, Greek erythrós; see rubella, rufescent, erythro-
Origin of -red5
Middle English -rede, Old English -rǣden
Explanation
The color red is a primary hue found at the end of the spectrum. You might turn red with embarrassment. It also represents financial loss, as in the term "red ink." The word red goes back to before 900, and we can see its roots in the Old English rēad. The idea of red as a signal to stop came in 1849. The color has been associated with rebellion as far back as the 13th Century, and in 1917, the Russian Bolsheviks adopted the color as their symbol. When the movement became the political party of Communism, the members became known as "Reds."
Vocabulary lists containing red
Red
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Spelling Practice 1, Unit 5
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
I whisked the eggs and cream with garlic powder, onion powder, dried thyme, oregano, red pepper flakes, salt and pepper, plus a little drizzle of soy sauce.
From Salon ● Sep. 22, 2026
A big red flag for companies: A high credit-utilization score suggests to lenders that you may be a higher risk.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 22, 2026
She slept in the cafe, her thin frame curled up in a red vinyl booth.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 22, 2026
Under current rules, the clock does not stop in practice sessions in the event of a red flag caused by an incident, unlike in qualifying and races when the competition is suspended.
From BBC ● Sep. 21, 2026
Sela reached into her bag and took out a small oval piece of hide, a strawberry in red and shades of pink just beginning to take shape.
From "Legendary Frybread Drive-In" by Cynthia Leitich Smith
Angel Sauceda, a spokesperson for the American Red Cross in Los Angeles, Ventura, Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo counties, said go bags — any durable backpack or duffel bag will do — should have:
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 22, 2026
Meanwhile, loadings from Red Sea terminals have dropped to zero since the attacks on the East-West pipeline earlier in September.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 22, 2026
Connors' DNA was found on an airbag and his fingerprint on a can of Red Bull.
From BBC ● Sep. 21, 2026
"The other issue we talked about was the situation in the Red Sea... It's important for global prices," he said.
From Barron's
I just didn’t think that message would inspire Red to respond.
From "Rump: The (Fairly) True Story of Rumpelstilskin" by Liesl Shurtliff
As Mr. Haskell kept watching, a flock of rainbow lorikeets, in their blue-, red-, orange- and green-feathered glory, blew in, “like windblown confetti,” chasing off the figbirds.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 17, 2026
The city will prioritize homes for the buyout of the eight homes that have been red- or yellow-tagged — officially deemed unsafe to enter or unlivable, respectively.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 29, 2024
Then the Grulla students ran onto the stage to join their friends, and red- and blue-clad mariachis embraced each other joyously.
From New York Times ● Nov. 3, 2022
The ECB also hopes a revised schedule will allow a greater balance between red- and white-ball cricket, produce higher-quality matches, and ease the strain on players' workloads.
From BBC ● Sep. 27, 2022
There were trees, and flower beds, and pine tables covered with red- and-white-checked tablecloths.
From "Hole in My Life" by Jack Gantos
Veterans proudly wore the distinctive berets of their old regiments -red for the Colonials recruited overseas, blue for paratroopers of Metropolitan France, green for Foreign Legionnaires.
From Time Magazine Archive
"Greys outcompete reds for habitat and food - they don't actually physically attack them but they do bother them," said Foott.
From BBC ● Sep. 20, 2026
Because greys typically weigh 500g - approximately twice that of reds, only they can access the contraceptive.
From BBC ● Sep. 20, 2026
"Today I see a boom in Ukrainian wineries," he said, noting that from full-bodied reds in the south to the crisp whites of the west, "our terroirs and climate are incredibly diverse".
From Barron's ● Sep. 15, 2026
When she learned a colleague could not tell the reds from the greens in a presentation, she stepped in with a colorblind-friendly palette.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 27, 2026
At midnight, I awake and paint a large canvas ignited with reds and whites, each color betraying the other.
From "Dreaming in Cuban" by Cristina García
As Arizona yielded to New Mexico, the dirt seemed to get redder and the ridges rose to form buttes.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 9, 2025
But even some humans can perceive infrared, and when exposed to longer wavelength infrared light in particular ways, may perceive a pale green or slightly redder color.
From Salon ● Nov. 16, 2024
When the star moves toward a telescope, its visible light turns slightly bluer; when it moves away from us, the light shifts slightly redder.
From Science Daily ● May 23, 2024
The closer the moon is to the Earth during an eclipse, the redder it looks, making it a super blood moon.
From Slate ● Apr. 5, 2024
Autumn’s sneakers make the red soil even redder as the Obayifo slides back.
From "Kwame Crashes the Underworld" by Craig Kofi Farmer
And for the open seat in Iowa, Democrats seem likely to nominate a two-time Paralympic gold medalist who represents the reddest state house seat held by a Democrat.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 20, 2026
"It's the reddest, dustiest red supergiant that we've seen explode as a supernova," Suresh said.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 9, 2025
Even in the reddest states like Alabama and Mississippi, women are, on average, over 25 when they tie the knot.
From Salon ● May 18, 2023
It tasted unbelievably tender, like the reddest steak, with a whiff of fish in the fattier bits.
From Slate ● Sep. 18, 2022
Pasqual had the reddest hair I have ever seen in my life.
From "Lawn Boy" by Gary Paulsen
As Iran's young Shah came to power 20,000 Russian troops were camped outside Teheran, redding up their tanks for a triumphal entry into the city.
From Time Magazine Archive
Mrs. Truman was redding up her rambling, 80-year-old home at 219 North Delaware St. in Independence.
From Time Magazine Archive
The room is, of course, very clear and clean and simple: not by any means cheaply equipped, but designed to economize the labor of redding and repair just as much as possible.
From The Cost of Shelter by Ellen H. Richards
"Are you going to be all day redding up them rooms?" pursued the voice.
From The House of Mystery An Episode in the Career of Rosalie Le Grange, Clairvoyant by Will Irwin
It should be put on with a brush, in the same manner as redding; it looks nice for a long time, when done in this way.
From The American Frugal Housewife by Lydia Maria Francis Child
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
