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.
South Korea's parliament on Thursday gave the green light for an investigation into ballot paper shortages that disrupted municipal elections this month and fuelled political tensions.
From Barron's • Jun. 18, 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
“Oh, wonderful. Let me guess. Follow the green light until I supposedly end up in a place that is not here?”
From "The Undead Fox of Deadwood Forest" by Aubrey Hartman
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.
