red card

American

noun

Soccer. a red card shown by the referee to a player being sent off the field for a flagrant violation.

red card British

noun

a card of a red colour displayed by a referee to indicate that a player has been sent off

"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

verb

(tr) to send off (a player)

"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

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.

See Examples For:

red card

Henderson is still recovering from surgery on the broken arm he suffered while celebrating the win over Mexico in the last 16, while defender Quansah is suspended following his red card in the same game.

From BBC ● Jul. 14, 2026

It was a controversial call, with some feeling the red card was unwarranted since Balogun’s action didn’t seem intentional.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 14, 2026

Take the red card for David Beckham against Argentina in the last 16 at France 98, or for Wayne Rooney versus Portugal in the 2006 quarter-finals.

From BBC ● Jul. 13, 2026

Then, in 1998, the most memorable moment of Argentina’s victory over England came when David Beckham was kicked out of the game with a red card.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 12, 2026

“In soccer you get shown the red card and you’re out of the game!”

From "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone" by J.K. Rowling

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