green light
noun
a green-colored traffic light used to signal drivers, pedestrians, etc., that they may proceed.
Jump To:
-
green light
-
green-light
green-lightverb (used with object)to give permission to proceed; authorize.
green light
1 Americannoun
-
green lights
plural
-
a green-colored traffic light used to signal drivers, pedestrians, etc., that they may proceed.
-
authorization; approval; permission.
The railroad has been given the green light on the proposed fare increase.
green-light
2
American
verb (used with object)
green-lighted,
green-lit,
green-lighting
green light
British
noun
-
a signal to go, esp a green traffic light
-
permission to proceed with a project
verb
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
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:
After getting the green light, Worthe pulled back, and his permit expired.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 29, 2026
Coincidentally, last March, Ward gave the green light for Carruthers’ execution after his attorneys had argued that Carruthers was not competent to be executed because he was “consumed by psychotic delusions.”
From Slate ● Aug. 25, 2026
The project was given the green light during a two-day state visit to France by Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
From BBC ● Aug. 24, 2026
The fire triggered evacuation orders in the German border town of Monschau as well as two Belgian villages, although residents of the hamlet of Sourbrodt have been given the green light to return home.
From Barron's ● Aug. 19, 2026
Alex taps his G-glasses, and a green light scans the wall.
From "The Manifestor Prophecy" by Angie Thomas
At oral arguments earlier this year, lawyers for the state’s court system urged the justices to green-light electronic recording, saying they’d already done everything in their power to fix the problem.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 10, 2026
“So far, we’ve seen no pressure on wages by any measure,” Lorizio said, but any uptick could serve as the final push for Fed officials to green-light rate increases.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 7, 2026
The group concluded that there was a strong case to green-light the breeding program.
From Slate ● Apr. 28, 2026
The reform has the backing of governors from the Andean provinces, who would have greater latitude to green-light mining projects.
From Barron's ● Apr. 8, 2026
“Get the hovercage over to the avenue. We don’t green-light until I give the word.”
From "Artemis Fowl" by Eoin Colfer
Lionel Messi, the 39-year-old Argentina captain, who continues to light up the international stage 20 years on from his tournament debut, green-lighted every detail of the top-dollar set-up.
From BBC ● Jun. 29, 2026
He first joined the company in 2024 and has since green-lighted 88 films.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 19, 2026
The FDA had green-lighted the design of Moderna’s trial years ago.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 18, 2026
Venezuela's National Assembly has green-lighted a referendum regarding a territorial dispute with Guyana, Foreign Minister Yvan Gil said on Saturday in an address to the United Nations.
From Reuters ● Sep. 24, 2023
And quiet, looking on and listening, in the strange, green-lighted, green-dark room, crushed by the gentle, hostile voices.
From Mary Olivier: a Life by May Sinclair
Memos that recapped the results of each Pilot Season cycle were considered alongside other factors to help make green-lighting decisions, he said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 28, 2023
Ahead of that meeting, Mr Sunak called the green-lighting of the march a "decision that the Metropolitan Police Commissioner has made".
From BBC ● Nov. 8, 2023
Federal Communications Commission on Thursday authorized Elon Musk's SpaceX to use its Starlink satellite internet network with moving vehicles, green-lighting the company's plan to expand broadband offerings to commercial airlines, shipping vessels and trucks.
From Reuters ● Jun. 30, 2022
“Stop canceling shows that people like, stop green-lighting so many ridiculous shows that nobody’s gonna watch, and stop raising the price,” they say.
From The Verge ● May 6, 2022
The California Democrat noted an alert sent by the House Sergeant-at-Arms William Walker who consulted with the Office of Attending Physician in green-lighting the extended public health emergency.
From Washington Times ● Dec. 29, 2021
A third season has already been green-lit, amid rumors that Meghan Markle might join the cast.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 31, 2026
Patel’s best hope is that the lawsuit is dismissed early, because it’s highly unlikely that the Atlantic green-lit a story they knew, as his lawsuit claims, to be full of “false and obviously fabricated allegations.”
From Salon ● Apr. 24, 2026
European regulators have also green-lit treatments by Sydnexis for progressive childhood myopia and Atara-Pierre Fabre’s for a rare blood cancer, both of which were recently rejected by the FDA.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 2, 2026
The policy, green-lit by Cardiff council on Friday, is focused on sustainability and promoting healthy food and drink.
From BBC ● Sep. 20, 2025
Together they enter the dim, green-lit elevator, ascend to the fifth floor holding hands.
From "American Gods" by Neil Gaiman
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.
