red zone

[ red-zohn ]

noun
  1. Football. an unofficial term for the area at either end of the field between the 20-yard line and the goal line, considered critical for defense: The team’s top-notch defense has allowed opponents to score a touchdown on only 39 percent of trips inside the red zone.: Compare end zone (def. 1).

  2. an area colored red on a dial or other instrument of measurement, alerting the viewer to unsafe conditions when the needle or indicator enters it: To avoid engine damage, do not run the engine with the tachometer needle in the red zone!

  1. a restricted area, sometimes specially labeled or marked with red: Do not enter the red zone without donning proper PPE.

  2. any range of conditions considered unsafe or likely to generate serious problems, such as for physical or financial health: Watch that you don’t end up in the red zone with all that stress and so little sleep.Some countries are so far into the red zone with debt that marginal changes in repayment terms make no difference.

Origin of red zone

1
First recorded in 1940–45; 1970–75 for def. 1

Words Nearby red zone

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use red zone in a sentence