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.
Oz explained that over the last two federal fiscal years, California’s spending on these in-home services grew 24%, compared to a national average of 12%—a big red flag.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 22, 2026
Roughly a month ago, Stocktwits CEO and co-founder Howard Lindzon raised a red flag on his blog about chip stocks, selling down more than half of his semiconductor-index exposure.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 21, 2026
Vision issues are a distinctive red flag, particularly blurry vision, trouble looking at bright lights, and in some cases complete blindness.
From BBC ● Jul. 15, 2026
Outside of trucking, construction and other safety-sensitive industries, more employers say they have come to view marijuana as akin to alcohol: not a red flag, as long as workers aren’t indulging on the clock.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 10, 2026
I overheard Gay trying to calm down Georgia over the phone: “They love to wave the red flag in the bullring. But you don’t have to react.”
From "Three Little Words: A Memoir" by Ashley Rhodes-Courter
The data only needs to be aggregated; red-flag algorithms need to be programmed in.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 23, 2026
“We have a red-flag system here, where if there’s anything that gets really out of whack, they can immediately tag the milk, and it doesn’t go to anything but cheese,” McAfee told me.
From Salon ● Jun. 22, 2026
You are in big red-flag territory for this one.
From MarketWatch ● May 26, 2026
The session ran for two hours and the six red-flag stoppages broke a record that had previously been tied by the 2022 Emilia-Romagna and 2024 Sao Paulo Grands Prix.
From BBC ● Sep. 20, 2025
She denounced it as a “hodgepodge of plagiarism pulled from here, a bit from there, the whole misinterpreted and sensationalized to give color to the red-flag word SPIES.”
From "The Woman All Spies Fear" by Amy Butler Greenfield
In recent years, the Air Force has looked for new ways to use the Reaper in combat, sending it to large-scale combat exercises, including Valiant Shield in the Pacific and Red Flag in Alaska.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 16, 2026
He then got into his Chinese Hongqi, or "Red Flag," limousine and departed the airport into the city, where demonstrations are expected both for and against his visit.
From Reuters ● Nov. 14, 2023
Red Flag Warnings remain in effect for much of LA/Ventura counties through 10 pm Monday.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 30, 2023
There are nearly 38,000 companies in critical financial distress, according to data prepared by analysts Red Flag for Begbies Traynor.
From BBC ● Oct. 30, 2023
The Reds seldom had any fun—their idea of an adventure was to get off in a room by themselves and sing the International or the Red Flag in whispers, so the police couldn't hear them.
From 100%: the Story of a Patriot by Sinclair, Upton
For instance, a corporate group of high-handicap golfers who haven’t played the course before can be red-flagged in advance.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 10, 2026
Mercedes duo Kimi Antonelli and George Russell completed the podium in a sprint that was red-flagged after Piastri and Alpine's Franco Colapinto' exited the 100km dash.
From Barron's ● Nov. 8, 2025
Living in a one-bedroom flat and pregnant, Ms Murray said her house was red-flagged due to the risk Newell posed to her and her unborn daughter.
From BBC ● Jun. 3, 2025
The issue remains a concern for the race as the latest fires happened despite mitigation measures that had been put in place after Friday's practice session was also red-flagged twice for the same reason.
From BBC ● Apr. 5, 2025
We got out and away from the grand old town just as the park of artillery opened fire from their great guns on their red-flagged targets far out to sea.
From The Cruise of the Land-Yacht "Wanderer" Thirteen Hundred Miles in my Caravan by Stables, Gordon
“Passing judgments, applying labels, and red-flagging educational materials that might prompt uncomfortable but insightful discussions are activities that do not belong in our public schools.”
From Washington Post ● Nov. 10, 2019
From next season players will be tested every day for six minutes before training, with computers immediately red-flagging anyone at risk.
From The Guardian ● Apr. 7, 2013
But we make the caddie do the ordinary work of carrying, and teeing up, and red-flagging also, and he contrives in effect to be in two places at the same time.
From The Happy Golfer Being Some Experiences, Reflections, and a Few Deductions of a Wandering Golfer by Leach, Henry
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.
