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.
a signal to go, esp a green traffic light
permission to proceed with a project
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The UK government will shortly have to decide whether to give the green light to two oil fields – Rosebank and Jackdaw.
From BBC ● Jul. 14, 2026
"Alongside yesterday's softer inflation figures and the tentative agreement to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, this gives the Bank of England the final green light to vote for a hold this afternoon."
From BBC ● Jun. 18, 2026
Although decriminalization has provided key protections for street vendors, some jurisdictions took it as a green light to put more restrictions on the practice, Wood said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 16, 2026
By the spring of 2025, senior DOJ officials had given the green light to proceed.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 16, 2026
A green light flashed on the collar, right where she couldn’t help but see it.
From "Uglies" by Scott Westerfeld
“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
After viewing it, Netflix didn’t hesitate to green-light the series.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 7, 2025
As they watched, the green-light tunnel extended farther and farther, finally stopping at what looked to be twin tornadoes of swirling wind and snow.
From "Half Upon a Time" by James Riley
The FDA had green-lighted the design of Moderna’s trial years ago.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 18, 2026
However in 2020 their legal challenge was dismissed by a federal court in Germany, which green-lighted construction to go ahead.
From BBC ● Apr. 22, 2025
“We need to define our future,” said Erich Nakano, executive director of the Little Tokyo Service Center, which played a major role in getting First Street North green-lighted.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 2, 2024
Many cities have relaxed controls on property deals imposed earlier to cool price bubbles, and some 6,000 property projects have been green-lighted for lending.
From Seattle Times ● Mar. 3, 2024
It was evident that she had been on the lookout for him; a French-window in a creeper-covered veranda opened as he advanced, and gracious domesticity stood smiling in the green-lighted shade.
From King John of Jingalo The Story of a Monarch in Difficulties by Housman, Laurence
Bergman said Stitch’s enduring popularity “definitely” played a role in green-lighting the live-action film.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 22, 2025
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
Mr. Crenshaw missed a vote on the rules package this week, in addition to one green-lighting the creation of the select subcommittee.
From Washington Times ● Jan. 12, 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
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
One red flag: It ends on a cliffhanger, and Season 2 has not been green-lit yet, despite the show shooting to the top of Netflix’s charts.
From MarketWatch ● Feb. 27, 2026
Boyle plans to return for the third film, if it's green-lit.
From BBC ● Jun. 18, 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.
