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• a variation of redd.

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• red
  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
  Red

  noun

  a male or female given name.
• red-
  red-

  variant of re- before a vowel or h in some words.
• -red
  -red

  a native English suffix, denoting condition, formerly used in the formation of nouns.

red

¹ American  

[red] / rɛd /

noun

• reds
  plural

1. 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.

2. something red.

3. Older Slang: Usually Disparaging. Often Red a radical leftist in politics, especially a Communist.

4. Informal. red light.

5. Informal. red wine.

   a glass of red.

6. 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.

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adjective

• redder,
  comparative
• reddest
  superlative

1. of the color red; of or like the color of blood.

   a red rose.

2. reddish purple in color.

   red wine made from purple grapes.

3. orange, golden brown, or reddish brown in color.

   red hair.

4. having distinctive areas or markings of red.

   a red robin.

5. bloodshot.

   red eyes from allergies.

6. (of the face) flushed or blushing, as from shame.

   cheeks red with embarrassment.

7. of or indicating a state of financial loss or indebtedness.

   the red column in the ledger.

8. 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.

9. Older Slang: Usually Disparaging.

   1. radically left politically.

   2. Often Red communist.

      Red China.

10. Older Use: Disparaging and Offensive. relating to, noting, or characteristic of North American Indian peoples.

idioms

1. see red, to become very angry; become enraged.

   Snobs make her see red.

2. paint the town red. paint.

3. 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

1. redd.

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Red ³ American  

[red] / rɛd /

noun

1. a male or female given name.

2. a nickname typically given to someone with red hair.

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red- ⁴ American  

1. variant of re- before a vowel or h in some words.

   redintegrate.

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-red ⁵ American  

1. a native English suffix, denoting condition, formerly used in the formation of nouns.

   hatred; kindred.

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red ¹ British  

/ rɛd /

noun

1. 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

2. a pigment or dye of or producing these colours

3. red cloth or clothing

   dressed in red

4. a red ball in snooker, billiards, etc

5. (in roulette and other gambling games) one of two colours on which players may place even bets, the other being black

6. Also called: inner.  archery a red ring on a target, between the blue and the gold, scoring seven points

7. informal in debit; owing money

8. informal to become very angry

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adjective

1. of the colour red

2. reddish in colour or having parts or marks that are reddish

   red hair

   red deer

3. having the face temporarily suffused with blood, being a sign of anger, shame, etc

4. (of the complexion) rosy; florid

5. (of the eyes) bloodshot

6. (of the hands) stained with blood, as after committing murder

7. bloody or violent

   red revolution

8. (of wine) made from black grapes and coloured by their skins

9. denoting the highest degree of urgency in an emergency; used by the police and the army and informally (esp in the phrase red alert )

10. relating to, supporting, or representing the Republican Party Compare blue

verb

1. another word for redden

Red ² British  

/ rɛd /

adjective

1. Communist, Socialist, or Soviet

2. radical, leftist, or revolutionary

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noun

1. 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

2. a radical, leftist, or revolutionary

red ³ British  

/ rɛd /

verb

1. (tr) a variant spelling of redd 1

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red More Idioms  

More idioms and phrases containing red

• catch red-handed
• in the red
• not worth a dime (red cent)
• paint the town red
• see red

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• redness
  noun
• redly
  adverb

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• reds
  plural

Adjectives

• redder
  comparative
• reddest
  superlative

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."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

red Red red- -red reds redder reddest redding

Discovery WBD -0.13%decrease; red down pointing triangle , money that would go to the company if it ultimately wins the case.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 17, 2026

Most little red dots at high redshift cannot be detected in X-ray light.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 17, 2026

An aviation alert was only downgraded on Saturday from the highest warning level of red to orange.

From BBC ● Aug. 17, 2026

The Cadillac allegedly 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 ● Aug. 17, 2026

Then a tall Elder with short black hair and red lipstick stepped forward and hugged him.

From "Legendary Frybread Drive-In" by Cynthia Leitich Smith

Pitching coach Red Adams convinced him that precision location and ball movement were more effective than raw speed and John went 11-5 the following season.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 16, 2026

The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies said preparations were underway to bring aid to some 2,000 people in temporary shelters.

From Barron's ● Aug. 16, 2026

The 37-year-old is discussing his decision to leave Rangers and join Red Bull Salzburg in June.

From BBC ● Aug. 15, 2026

Red Robin has been studying consumer data to understand where its lapsed diners have gone and target them with ads promising a similar experience.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 14, 2026

The fingers on her right hand were hard and waxy, unnervingly like those of the Red Deer corpse.

From "Wolf Brother" by Michelle Paver

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

Managing editor Andrew Gulli found the Capote story in the Library of Congress, inside an “old red- and gold-scrolled Florentine notebook,” he writes on the Strand editorial page.

From Seattle Times ● Sep. 21, 2023

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

We sat down at a table covered with a cheery red- checkered tablecloth in a cold, abstract arrangement of squares—the kind of pattern the demons favored.

From "Dragonwings" by Laurence Yep

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

Throughout the day, fans crossed the grounds in bright Latin American soccer jerseys, the eye-catching complementary greens and reds of Mexico and the rich blue of El Salvador dotting the crowd.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 4, 2026

A Bordeaux-style blend that embodies Black Ankle’s strength: elegant and ageable reds.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 27, 2026

I know a sommelier ready to pour some earthy organic reds.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 10, 2026

“When you get into the wedding scene, everybody is in pinks, soft reds, oranges and yellows,” Maciek said.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 30, 2026

This year a trumpet vine leaned eagerly against a cool lily, pointy leaves fought to see who could take over the steps, purples and blood reds argued loudly with each other.

From "Chasing Vermeer" by Blue Balliett

As he dispersed the light from dozens of galaxies into a spectrum, which recorded the amount of light at each wavelength, he noticed that the light was always shifted to longer or redder wavelengths.

From Salon ● Feb. 14, 2025

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

Porter was a loyal soldier — she helped local candidates win through endorsements and made progressives in the redder parts of O.C. believe they could run and win.

From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 8, 2024

I didn’t think my skin could get any redder than it was, but I was pretty sure I had started glowing like a protostar about to undergo its first burst of fusion.

From "Darius the Great Is Not Okay" by Adib Khorram

It’s an oasis for arts, tasteful wealth, and Southern manners in one of the reddest parts of the country.

From Slate ● May 4, 2026

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

And with mass production also came newfound competition amongst farmers to see who could bear the most beautiful — in this case, the reddest — apples possible.

From Salon ● Sep. 4, 2023

He put die three fish on the board, pushed sharpened pegs through their tails into cracks on the cooking board, and propped it next to the reddest part of the coals.

From "Hatchet" by Gary Paulsen

Mrs. Truman was redding up her rambling, 80-year-old home at 219 North Delaware St. in Independence.

From Time Magazine Archive

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

Said I not to ye, Make not, meddle not?—Beware of the redding straik!

From Guy Mannering by Sir Walter Scott

‘You have been redding up the garret again!’

From Margaret Ogilvy by J. M. (James Matthew) Barrie

She was mending or weaving nets, she was redding up her own home.

From Christine A Fife Fisher Girl by Amelia Edith Huddleston Barr

Related Words

• cardinal
• coral
• crimson
• flaming
• glowing
• maroon
• rose
• wine