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• red light
  red light

  noun

  a red lamp, used as a traffic signal to mean “stop.”
• red-light
  red-light

  verb (used with object)

  to stop or deter by means of or as if with a red light.

red light

¹ American  

noun

• red lights
  plural

1. a red lamp, used as a traffic signal to mean “stop.”

2. an order or directive to halt an action, project, etc..

   There's a red light on all unnecessary expenses.

3. a children's running game in which players must stop when “Red light!” is called.

4. a signal of danger; warning.

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red-light ² American  

[red-lahyt] / ˈrɛdˈlaɪt /

verb (used with object)

red-lighted, red-lighting

1. Informal. to stop or deter by means of or as if with a red light.

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red light British  

noun

1. a signal to stop, esp a red traffic signal in a system of traffic lights

2. a danger signal

3. an instruction to stop or discontinue

4. 1. a red lamp in a window of or outside a house indicating that it is a brothel

   2. ( as modifier )

      a red-light district

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• red lights
  plural

Etymology

Origin of red light¹

First recorded in 1840–50

Origin of red-light²

First recorded in 1895–1900

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

red light red-light red-lighted

The Cadillac allegedly pulled up alongside a BMW carrying Knight and Shakur at a red light at the intersection of East Flamingo Road and Koval Lane.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 17, 2026

They spotted the Death Row caravan stopped at a red light, with Shakur waving to fans while hanging out of the BMW window.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 12, 2026

Other protocols promoted by influencers without medical evidence have included certain supplements, red light therapy, and donating blood to "filter out" microplastics.

From BBC ● Jul. 11, 2026

The red light and a siren from a cop.

From Salon ● Jul. 3, 2026

The girls are stopped at a red light as more traffic whizzes by.

From "The House That Lou Built" by Mae Respicio

Singaporean photographer Aik Beng Chia used an image generator to depict the lives of transgender people in the city-state's Bugis street, then known as a red-light district, in the 1970s and 80s.

From Barron's ● Jun. 30, 2026

They more than made it their own, with more branding than Hampden and further top-range components, including a red-light therapy chamber and an altitude room.

From BBC ● Jun. 29, 2026

Soon I was using prescription shampoo, two topical serums, monthly steroid scalp injections, and a pricey red-light therapy cap that made me look like an alien.

From Slate ● May 23, 2026

“We did a study to evaluate what happened after some of these large cities in the United States turned off their red-light camera programs,” she said.

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 29, 2026

Then he looked again and the red-light was gone.

From Danger Signals Remarkable, Exciting and Unique Examples of the Bravery, Daring and Stoicism in the Midst of Danger of Train Dispatchers and Railroad Engineers by John A. Hill

Hagan advanced on a controversial call versus defending Countdown to the Championship winner Ron Capps, who red-lighted at the start.

From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 12, 2017

Models like the ones that red-lighted Kyle Behm continue to lock people out, even when the “science” inside them is little more than a bundle of untested assumptions.

From The Guardian ● Sep. 1, 2016

An enormous red-lighted Ferris wheel stands out, tawdry and proud of its daily victory over the slow-rising sun.

From Washington Post ● Jun. 7, 2016

There, guests including Diane Kruger, Jessica Alba and Rachel Zoe mingled inside a giant red-lighted replica of a black Chanel 2.55 handbag.

From New York Times ● Aug. 3, 2012

Shall I fight him again—with metal digged from the earth, fashioned and sharpened in some red-lighted shop of the earth?

From Foes by Mary Johnston

Related Words

• traffic signal