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 • Oct. 22, 2024

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

From BBC • Oct. 8, 2023

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

From BBC • Jun. 23, 2023

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

From BBC • Feb. 7, 2022

There's the beep, beep, beep of the pelican crossing, the bass roar of buses and the screech of food-delivery mopeds that rarely stop, day or night.

From BBC • Oct. 28, 2019

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