red-light district
Americannoun
Etymology
Origin of red-light district
First recorded in 1890–95; allegedly so called because brothels displayed red lights
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.
A stone's throw from the US border and around the corner from Tijuana's seedy red-light district, Afghan families say they feel safe inside a first of its kind Muslim-only shelter.
From BBC • Dec. 13, 2023
Ahmad’s extraordinarily accomplished first novel revolves around Faraz Ali, born to a prostitute in Mohalla, Lahore, Pakistan’s red-light district.
From Washington Post • Jun. 7, 2022
Short, impressionistic chapters flit between the fictional town of Ventor, Georgia; boho New York City; San Francisco’s red-light district; the coast of Florida; and a grad-school program in Maryland.
From The New Yorker • Aug. 1, 2019
Critics say that the 1012 plan has had unwanted side effects: By shrinking the red-light district, the city has effectively given the area over to characterless shops selling tacky souvenirs or refreshments.
From New York Times • Oct. 3, 2018
One day, on my way past the outskirts of Kabukichō – Tokyo’s red-light district, infamously depicted in the Yakuza games – I spot a curious advertisement.
From The Guardian • Jul. 23, 2018
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.
