pelican crossing

British

noun

a type of road crossing marked by black-and-white stripes or by two rows of metal studs and consisting of a pedestrian-operated traffic-light system

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of pelican crossing

C20: from pe ( destrian ) li ( ght ) con ( trolled ) crossing, with -con adapted to -can of pelican

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.

On the day of the accident, she had illegally parked her car on a pelican crossing before attempting to perform a U-turn.

From BBC

Work to install a signalled pelican crossing started on Saturday, slightly ahead of schedule.

From BBC

Andrew Davies, prosecuting, told the court that Mrs Gay, 67, and Mr Gay, 58, were hit on a pelican crossing.

From BBC

Mr Zeb, who lives yards away from the crossing, says he and other locals have campaigned for a pelican crossing to be installed.

From BBC

Police want speak to a pedestrian wearing dark clothing who was using the pelican crossing at the time of the crash.

From BBC

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023