the symbol or banner of a left-wing revolutionary party.
a danger signal.
something that provokes an angry or hostile reaction.
The talk about raising taxes was a red flag to many voters.
Also called powder flag. Nautical. a red burgee, designating in the International Code of Signals the letter “B,” flown by itself to show that a vessel is carrying, loading, or discharging explosives or highly inflammable material.
(initial capital letters) a war game the U.S. Air Force holds several times each year at Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada, to train personnel in air combat.
to mark or draw attention to for a particular purpose.
The department has red-flagged the most urgent repair work to be done.
to provoke the attention of; alert; arouse.
The animal's refusal to eat red-flagged the keeper that something was wrong.
of or relating to a red flag.
intended or serving to emphasize, warn, incite, or provoke.
a symbol of socialism, communism, or revolution
a warning of danger or a signal to stop
First recorded in 1770–80
First recorded in 1880–85
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
That incident led to a red flag as officials took a look at the track surface at the crumbling final corner, known as Antony Noghes.
From BBC • Jun. 7, 2026
But the sheer size of SpaceX’s expected offering, and Chief Executive Elon Musk’s expressed desire to have significant retail ownership, might make that less of a red flag this time around.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 4, 2026
The space business, like EVs, is here to stay, but valuations approaching 80 times estimated sales are a red flag for investors.
From Barron's • May 27, 2026
If your sketchy adviser suggested paying the tax for the conversion out of the $1 million itself, I’d raise another red flag.
From MarketWatch • May 26, 2026
It’s a red shirt, his red flag, reaching to pull me out of the depths of the endless sticky mud, and I feel again, my fingers slip through his.
From "Red Flags and Butterflies" by Sheryl Azzam
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.
