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• red light
  red light

  noun

  a red lamp, used as a traffic signal to mean “stop.”
• red-light
  red-light

  verb (used with object)

  to stop or deter by means of or as if with a red light.

red light

¹ American  

noun

• red lights
  plural

1. a red lamp, used as a traffic signal to mean “stop.”

2. an order or directive to halt an action, project, etc..

   There's a red light on all unnecessary expenses.

3. a children's running game in which players must stop when “Red light!” is called.

4. a signal of danger; warning.

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red-light ² American  

[red-lahyt] / ˈrɛdˈlaɪt /

verb (used with object)

red-lighted, red-lighting

1. Informal. to stop or deter by means of or as if with a red light.

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red light British  

noun

1. a signal to stop, esp a red traffic signal in a system of traffic lights

2. a danger signal

3. an instruction to stop or discontinue

4. 1. a red lamp in a window of or outside a house indicating that it is a brothel

   2. ( as modifier )

      a red-light district

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• red lights
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of red light¹

First recorded in 1840–50

Origin of red-light²

First recorded in 1895–1900

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

red light red-light red-lighted

The experiments showed that the device could stimulate nerve cells using both blue and red light.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 21, 2026

“Carrying balances on those accounts is a flashing red light that changes need to be made to your budget. Don’t burn calories worrying about 3.75% vs. 4% when you are paying 20%.”

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 16, 2026

Prosecutors argued the Cadillac pulled up alongside a BMW carrying Knight and Shakur at a red light at the intersection of East Flamingo Road and Koval Lane.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 1, 2026

Shorter blue wavelengths scattering more easily, while more of the longer wavelength red light reaches the moon.

From BBC ● Aug. 27, 2026

Behind her loomed a burly cameraman in a parka, though all Mrs. McCullough registered was the barrel of a lens and a blinking red light like one glowing eye.

From "Little Fires Everywhere" by Celeste Ng

The former red-light district downtown has been transformed into a dedicated cultural district containing galleries, theaters, museums and a world-class symphony.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 25, 2026

Singaporean photographer Aik Beng Chia used an image generator to depict the lives of transgender people in the city-state's Bugis street, then known as a red-light district, in the 1970s and 80s.

From Barron's ● Jun. 30, 2026

Soon I was using prescription shampoo, two topical serums, monthly steroid scalp injections, and a pricey red-light therapy cap that made me look like an alien.

From Slate ● May 23, 2026

The beauty industry is offering up a bevy of solutions, including creams and massage rollers, lubricated silicon masks and even futuristic-looking LED red-light collars.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 27, 2026

Then he looked again and the red-light was gone.

From Danger Signals Remarkable, Exciting and Unique Examples of the Bravery, Daring and Stoicism in the Midst of Danger of Train Dispatchers and Railroad Engineers by John A. Hill

Inside the Universalist Unitarian Church of Riverside, a line of masked people filed into the red-lighted chapel, one by one, to take part in the rite of confession.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 4, 2026

Now imagine that Kyle Behm, after getting red-lighted at Kroger, goes on to land a job at McDonald’s.

From The Guardian ● Sep. 1, 2016

An enormous red-lighted Ferris wheel stands out, tawdry and proud of its daily victory over the slow-rising sun.

From Washington Post ● Jun. 7, 2016

Rose arrangements hung from the red-lighted ceiling, and horse racing video clips played on the walls.

From New York Times ● May 8, 2012

Shall I fight him again—with metal digged from the earth, fashioned and sharpened in some red-lighted shop of the earth?

From Foes by Mary Johnston

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• traffic signal

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