to attach a red tag to, as merchandise for special sale.
to identify for a specific purpose; earmark.
The inspector red-tagged the restaurant for health violations.
First recorded in 1885–90
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
On Dec. 23, 2024, three days before the fire, the city placed red tag notices around the building, warning about a building or wall that could fall down.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 3, 2025
She described airlines as the "first line of defence" and pointed out that laws require them to isolate, put a red tag on and lock up in a secure vault any potentially "bogus parts".
From BBC ● Dec. 6, 2023
“We’re going to red tag it all,” he added.
From Washington Post ● Jan. 26, 2023
The company flags these discounts by placing a red tag icon under qualifying merchandise.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 17, 2016
Brown pig hair bodies, ribbed with gold, dark brown-red hackle, wings light brown spotted turkey tail, red tag, and a scarlet joint above it; the body to be made long and taper.
From Blacker's Art of Fly Making, &c. Comprising Angling, & Dyeing of Colours, with Engravings of Salmon & Trout Flies by Blacker, William
Police would come every once in a while and red-tag the RVs that gathered there, Heller said.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 3, 2023
The red-tag sale sign suggested it was a bargain.
From Washington Post ● Feb. 16, 2016
But it's a bad omen for GM that the company must rely on red-tag sales and other gimmicks to move the metal, despite great strides in vehicle quality.
From Time Magazine Archive
Armed Forces radio broadcasts glum little ads urging G.I.s to use egg timers when they call long distance and to watch for red-tag sales at the PX.
From Time Magazine Archive
About two dozen of those are red-tagged, deemed uninhabitable because of significant damage from the slides.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 24, 2025
The Los Angeles Department of Building and Safety was called to the scene and red-tagged one building, deeming the structure unsafe.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 13, 2024
In recent months, two homes have been red-tagged, multiple roads have been closed or required significant repairs, and dozens of residents have reported new damage on their properties.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 27, 2024
The city of Los Angeles alone saw 562 mudslides and 15 homes red-tagged as of Wednesday evening, according to Mayor Karen Bass’ office.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 8, 2024
On a narrow-fronted ground floor was the crowded little laundry with its red-lettered sign, its uncurtained windows, its shelves of red-tagged parcels, and its ever-present odor of borax.
From Stories from Everybody's Magazine by Various
Second, red-tagging kratom products would directly affect his Authentic Kratom and the livelihood of his seven full-time employees.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 20, 2025
Inspectors will be sent to retailers next week to begin red-tagging illegal products containing the compounds, the L.A.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 7, 2025
Gregory and her team set about taking measurements of the cars and their trajectories and red-tagging any evidence, which would be transported to N.T.S.B. or Amtrak facilities for cataloging and three-dimensional scanning.
From New York Times ● Jan. 26, 2016
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.
