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• a variation of redd.

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• red
  red

  noun

  any of various colors resembling the color of blood; the primary color at one extreme end of the visible spectrum, an effect of light with a wavelength between 610 and 780 nanometers.
• Red
  Red

  noun

  a male or female given name.
• red-
  red-

  variant of re- before a vowel or h in some words.
• -red
  -red

  a native English suffix, denoting condition, formerly used in the formation of nouns.

red

¹ American  

[red] / rɛd /

noun

• reds
  plural

1. any of various colors resembling the color of blood; the primary color at one extreme end of the visible spectrum, an effect of light with a wavelength between 610 and 780 nanometers.

2. something red.

3. Older Slang: Usually Disparaging. Often Red a radical leftist in politics, especially a Communist.

4. Informal. red light.

5. Informal. red wine.

   a glass of red.

6. Also called red devil, red bird, red doll. Slang. a capsule of the drug secobarbital, usually red in color.

   He was caught with a half dozen reds in the bottom of his pack of cigarettes.

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adjective

• redder,
  comparative
• reddest
  superlative

1. of the color red; of or like the color of blood.

   a red rose.

2. reddish purple in color.

   red wine made from purple grapes.

3. orange, golden brown, or reddish brown in color.

   red hair.

4. having distinctive areas or markings of red.

   a red robin.

5. bloodshot.

   red eyes from allergies.

6. (of the face) flushed or blushing, as from shame.

   cheeks red with embarrassment.

7. of or indicating a state of financial loss or indebtedness.

   the red column in the ledger.

8. Politics. relating to, supporting, or belonging to the Republican Party in the United States; Republican.

   This is big news in that it flips a red Senate seat to blue.

9. Older Slang: Usually Disparaging.

   1. radically left politically.

   2. Often Red communist.

      Red China.

10. Older Use: Disparaging and Offensive. relating to, noting, or characteristic of North American Indian peoples.

idioms

1. see red, to become very angry; become enraged.

   Snobs make her see red.

2. paint the town red. paint.

3. in the red, operating at a loss or being in debt (opposed to in the black).

   The newspaper strike put many businesses in the red.

red ² American  

[red] / rɛd /

verb (used with object)

red, redding

1. redd.

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Red ³ American  

[red] / rɛd /

noun

1. a male or female given name.

2. a nickname typically given to someone with red hair.

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red- ⁴ American  

1. variant of re- before a vowel or h in some words.

   redintegrate.

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-red ⁵ American  

1. a native English suffix, denoting condition, formerly used in the formation of nouns.

   hatred; kindred.

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red ¹ British  

/ rɛd /

noun

1. any of a group of colours, such as that of a ripe tomato or fresh blood, that lie at one end of the visible spectrum, next to orange, and are perceived by the eye when light in the approximate wavelength range 740–620 nanometres falls on the retina. Red is the complementary colour of cyan and forms a set of primary colours with blue and green

2. a pigment or dye of or producing these colours

3. red cloth or clothing

   dressed in red

4. a red ball in snooker, billiards, etc

5. (in roulette and other gambling games) one of two colours on which players may place even bets, the other being black

6. Also called: inner. archery a red ring on a target, between the blue and the gold, scoring seven points

7. informal in debit; owing money

8. informal to become very angry

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adjective

1. of the colour red

2. reddish in colour or having parts or marks that are reddish

   red hair

   red deer

3. having the face temporarily suffused with blood, being a sign of anger, shame, etc

4. (of the complexion) rosy; florid

5. (of the eyes) bloodshot

6. (of the hands) stained with blood, as after committing murder

7. bloody or violent

   red revolution

8. (of wine) made from black grapes and coloured by their skins

9. denoting the highest degree of urgency in an emergency; used by the police and the army and informally (esp in the phrase red alert )

10. relating to, supporting, or representing the Republican Party Compare blue

verb

1. another word for redden

Red ² British  

/ rɛd /

adjective

1. Communist, Socialist, or Soviet

2. radical, leftist, or revolutionary

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noun

1. a member or supporter of a Communist or Socialist Party or a national of a state having such a government, esp the former Soviet Union

2. a radical, leftist, or revolutionary

red ³ British  

/ rɛd /

verb

1. (tr) a variant spelling of redd 1

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red More Idioms  

More idioms and phrases containing red

• catch red-handed
• in the red
• not worth a dime (red cent)
• paint the town red
• see red

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• redness
  noun
• redly
  adverb

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• reds
  plural

Adjectives

• redder
  comparative
• reddest
  superlative

Etymology

Origin of red¹

First recorded before 900; Middle English red, Old English rēad; cognate with German rot, Dutch rood, Old Norse raudhr, Latin rūfus, ruber, Greek erythrós; see rubella, rufescent, erythro-

Origin of -red⁵

Middle English -rede, Old English -rǣden

Explanation

The color red is a primary hue found at the end of the spectrum. You might turn red with embarrassment. It also represents financial loss, as in the term "red ink." The word red goes back to before 900, and we can see its roots in the Old English rēad. The idea of red as a signal to stop came in 1849. The color has been associated with rebellion as far back as the 13th Century, and in 1917, the Russian Bolsheviks adopted the color as their symbol. When the movement became the political party of Communism, the members became known as "Reds."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

red Red red- -red reds redder reddest redding

Suppose there was a big red button that he and all competitors could hit it, and say, “We’re going to pause for now and we’re going to get safe.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 8, 2026

The broad category also includes organisms such as kelp, slime molds, and red algae, some of which grow into large, complex structures.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 8, 2026

Campbell said immediately after the incident it was as if "the red mist lifted" and he and Turner went into a nearby common room and sat down at a table.

From BBC ● Oct. 7, 2026

“I love this guy,” Olson’s caption continued with a red heart emoji.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 7, 2026

Two’s red eyes shined with a fear so piercing, it sent a shiver up Clare’s spine.

From "The Undead Fox of Deadwood Forest" by Aubrey Hartman

Saudi Arabia has also resumed exports from both its Gulf and Red Sea coasts after repairing part of the damage to its East-West Pipeline following an attack last month.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 8, 2026

But Yemeni pro-government forces backed by Saudi Arabia have since said they had "secured" the Bab al-Mandab Strait at the southern end of the Red Sea.

From BBC ● Oct. 8, 2026

After declaring a counter-offensive against the Houthis, Yemen's government claimed to have pushed the fighters out of strategic areas on the Red Sea and the port city of Mocha.

From Barron's ● Oct. 8, 2026

Red dye exists for one reason: It lets a man with a flashlight tell whether you paid the tax.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 7, 2026

Red made a muffled growl and shook her head behind Oswald.

From "Rump: The (Fairly) True Story of Rumpelstilskin" by Liesl Shurtliff

As Mr. Haskell kept watching, a flock of rainbow lorikeets, in their blue-, red-, orange- and green-feathered glory, blew in, “like windblown confetti,” chasing off the figbirds.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 17, 2026

The city will prioritize homes for the buyout of the eight homes that have been red- or yellow-tagged — officially deemed unsafe to enter or unlivable, respectively.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 29, 2024

Then the Grulla students ran onto the stage to join their friends, and red- and blue-clad mariachis embraced each other joyously.

From New York Times ● Nov. 3, 2022

The ECB also hopes a revised schedule will allow a greater balance between red- and white-ball cricket, produce higher-quality matches, and ease the strain on players' workloads.

From BBC ● Sep. 27, 2022

He felt her calloused hand move gently over his swollen jaw long before he saw her red- rimmed eyes peering down at him.

From "The Contender" by Robert Lipsyte

Veterans proudly wore the distinctive berets of their old regiments -red for the Colonials recruited overseas, blue for paratroopers of Metropolitan France, green for Foreign Legionnaires.

From Time Magazine Archive

The right map above illustrates that shift, with lighter reds and blues showing much smaller rates of change during that decade.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 23, 2026

But why can reds and greys not live cheek by jowl?

From BBC ● Sep. 20, 2026

"Today I see a boom in Ukrainian wineries," he said, noting that from full-bodied reds in the south to the crisp whites of the west, "our terroirs and climate are incredibly diverse".

From Barron's ● Sep. 15, 2026

Throughout the day, fans crossed the grounds in bright Latin American soccer jerseys, the eye-catching complementary greens and reds of Mexico and the rich blue of El Salvador dotting the crowd.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 4, 2026

The lush greens of summer faded to reds and browns.

From "The Wild Robot Escapes" by Peter Brown

These stars shine with a bright blue color that makes them appear much younger than the older, redder stars surrounding them.

From Science Daily ● Jul. 5, 2026

And with higher sugar concentrations, a pigment called anthocyanin is produced, making the leaves even redder.

From BBC ● Sep. 18, 2025

As he dispersed the light from dozens of galaxies into a spectrum, which recorded the amount of light at each wavelength, he noticed that the light was always shifted to longer or redder wavelengths.

From Salon ● Feb. 14, 2025

The closer the moon is to the Earth during an eclipse, the redder it looks, making it a super blood moon.

From Slate ● Apr. 5, 2024

Diego blushed redder than ketchup, and I flashed my brother a death stare.

From "We Are the Ants" by Shaun David Hutchinson

And for the open seat in Iowa, Democrats seem likely to nominate a two-time Paralympic gold medalist who represents the reddest state house seat held by a Democrat.

From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 20, 2026

"It's the reddest, dustiest red supergiant that we've seen explode as a supernova," Suresh said.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 9, 2025

Even in the reddest states like Alabama and Mississippi, women are, on average, over 25 when they tie the knot.

From Salon ● May 18, 2023

It tasted unbelievably tender, like the reddest steak, with a whiff of fish in the fattier bits.

From Slate ● Sep. 18, 2022

When we get home, she always takes it out back and breaks it open against a rock, then scoops out the heart of it—the sweetest, reddest part—and hands it to me.

From "Miracle's Boys" by Jacqueline Woodson

Mrs. Truman was redding up her rambling, 80-year-old home at 219 North Delaware St. in Independence.

From Time Magazine Archive

As Iran's young Shah came to power 20,000 Russian troops were camped outside Teheran, redding up their tanks for a triumphal entry into the city.

From Time Magazine Archive

Harrietta did a good deal of tidying and dusting and redding up in her own two-room apartment, so high and bright and spotless.

From Gigolo by Edna Ferber

You should have seen the idlers aft and the boys forrard, redding up as if all their mothers was expected.

From A Man in the Open by Roger Pocock

She was mending or weaving nets, she was redding up her own home.

From Christine A Fife Fisher Girl by Amelia Edith Huddleston Barr

Related Words

• cardinal
• coral
• crimson
• flaming
• glowing
• maroon
• rose
• wine