Jump To:

• red
  red

  noun

  any of various colors resembling the color of blood; the primary color at one extreme end of the visible spectrum, an effect of light with a wavelength between 610 and 780 nanometers.
• Red
  Red

  noun

  a male or female given name.
• red-
  red-

  variant of re- before a vowel or h in some words.
• -red
  -red

  a native English suffix, denoting condition, formerly used in the formation of nouns.

red

¹ American  

[red] / rɛd /

noun

• reds
  plural

1. any of various colors resembling the color of blood; the primary color at one extreme end of the visible spectrum, an effect of light with a wavelength between 610 and 780 nanometers.

2. something red.

3. Older Slang: Usually Disparaging. Often Red a radical leftist in politics, especially a Communist.

4. Informal. red light.

5. Informal. red wine.

   a glass of red.

6. Also called red devil.  Also called red bird,.  Also called red doll.  Slang. a capsule of the drug secobarbital, usually red in color.

   He was caught with a half dozen reds in the bottom of his pack of cigarettes.

---

adjective

• redder,
  comparative
• reddest
  superlative

1. of the color red; of or like the color of blood.

   a red rose.

2. reddish purple in color.

   red wine made from purple grapes.

3. orange, golden brown, or reddish brown in color.

   red hair.

4. having distinctive areas or markings of red.

   a red robin.

5. bloodshot.

   red eyes from allergies.

6. (of the face) flushed or blushing, as from shame.

   cheeks red with embarrassment.

7. of or indicating a state of financial loss or indebtedness.

   the red column in the ledger.

8. Politics. relating to, supporting, or belonging to the Republican Party in the United States; Republican.

   This is big news in that it flips a red Senate seat to blue.

9. Older Slang: Usually Disparaging.

   1. radically left politically.

   2. Often Red communist.

      Red China.

10. Older Use: Disparaging and Offensive. relating to, noting, or characteristic of North American Indian peoples.

idioms

1. see red, to become very angry; become enraged.

   Snobs make her see red.

2. paint the town red. paint.

3. in the red, operating at a loss or being in debt (opposed to in the black).

   The newspaper strike put many businesses in the red.

red ² American  

[red] / rɛd /

verb (used with object)

red, redding

1. redd.

---

Red ³ American  

[red] / rɛd /

noun

1. a male or female given name.

2. a nickname typically given to someone with red hair.

---

red- ⁴ American  

1. variant of re- before a vowel or h in some words.

   redintegrate.

---

-red ⁵ American  

1. a native English suffix, denoting condition, formerly used in the formation of nouns.

   hatred; kindred.

---

red ¹ British  

/ rɛd /

noun

1. any of a group of colours, such as that of a ripe tomato or fresh blood, that lie at one end of the visible spectrum, next to orange, and are perceived by the eye when light in the approximate wavelength range 740–620 nanometres falls on the retina. Red is the complementary colour of cyan and forms a set of primary colours with blue and green

2. a pigment or dye of or producing these colours

3. red cloth or clothing

   dressed in red

4. a red ball in snooker, billiards, etc

5. (in roulette and other gambling games) one of two colours on which players may place even bets, the other being black

6. Also called: inner.  archery a red ring on a target, between the blue and the gold, scoring seven points

7. informal in debit; owing money

8. informal to become very angry

---

adjective

1. of the colour red

2. reddish in colour or having parts or marks that are reddish

   red hair

   red deer

3. having the face temporarily suffused with blood, being a sign of anger, shame, etc

4. (of the complexion) rosy; florid

5. (of the eyes) bloodshot

6. (of the hands) stained with blood, as after committing murder

7. bloody or violent

   red revolution

8. (of wine) made from black grapes and coloured by their skins

9. denoting the highest degree of urgency in an emergency; used by the police and the army and informally (esp in the phrase red alert )

10. relating to, supporting, or representing the Republican Party Compare blue

verb

1. another word for redden

Red ² British  

/ rɛd /

adjective

1. Communist, Socialist, or Soviet

2. radical, leftist, or revolutionary

---

noun

1. a member or supporter of a Communist or Socialist Party or a national of a state having such a government, esp the former Soviet Union

2. a radical, leftist, or revolutionary

red ³ British  

/ rɛd /

verb

1. (tr) a variant spelling of redd 1

---

red More Idioms  

More idioms and phrases containing red

• catch red-handed
• in the red
• not worth a dime (red cent)
• paint the town red
• see red

---

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• redness
  noun
• redly
  adverb

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• reds
  plural

Adjectives

• redder
  comparative
• reddest
  superlative

Etymology

Origin of red¹

First recorded before 900; Middle English red, Old English rēad; cognate with German rot, Dutch rood, Old Norse raudhr, Latin rūfus, ruber, Greek erythrós; see rubella, rufescent, erythro-

Origin of -red⁵

Middle English -rede, Old English -rǣden

Explanation

The color red is a primary hue found at the end of the spectrum. You might turn red with embarrassment. It also represents financial loss, as in the term "red ink." The word red goes back to before 900, and we can see its roots in the Old English rēad. The idea of red as a signal to stop came in 1849. The color has been associated with rebellion as far back as the 13th Century, and in 1917, the Russian Bolsheviks adopted the color as their symbol. When the movement became the political party of Communism, the members became known as "Reds."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

red Red red- -red reds redder reddest redding

"The Taliban have their red lines and we, and our donors, have ours. We discuss approaches so both sides understand where they are coming from."

From BBC ● Aug. 14, 2026

All that is left now is his motorbike, one red bicycle and an assortment of tools.

From Barron's ● Aug. 14, 2026

The center reported that she was no longer able to keep food down and experienced a significant decline in her packed cell volume, which measures the percentage of red blood cells in the bloodstream.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 14, 2026

A coyote is bathed in red light; a cougar stalks near a grand piano; a man stands in a tropical jungle surrounded by mist; a pay phone off the hook dangles by its cord.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 14, 2026

In the corners of the back wall mural, I spied tiny bursts of red nestled in the painted blades of grass.

From "Legendary Frybread Drive-In" by Cynthia Leitich Smith

The 75-year-old leader made the announcement while speaking from the ramparts of New Delhi's imposing 17th-century Red Fort to mark the country's independence from Britain on August 15, 1947.

From Barron's ● Aug. 15, 2026

The group, which also owns the Boston Red Sox, said the stake sale in Liverpool was part of its efforts to help power the team’s long-term growth.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 14, 2026

One of the songs stuck behind it was the Red Hot Chili Peppers’ “Under the Bridge.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 14, 2026

In the off-season it was confirmed Emily Scarratt had joined the Red Roses set-up full-time as attack and backs coach.

From BBC ● Aug. 12, 2026

“You’d better find some gold today, Rump,” said Red.

From "Rump: The (Fairly) True Story of Rumpelstilskin" by Liesl Shurtliff

As Mr. Haskell kept watching, a flock of rainbow lorikeets, in their blue-, red-, orange- and green-feathered glory, blew in, “like windblown confetti,” chasing off the figbirds.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 17, 2026

The city will prioritize homes for the buyout of the eight homes that have been red- or yellow-tagged — officially deemed unsafe to enter or unlivable, respectively.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 29, 2024

Then the Grulla students ran onto the stage to join their friends, and red- and blue-clad mariachis embraced each other joyously.

From New York Times ● Nov. 3, 2022

The ECB also hopes a revised schedule will allow a greater balance between red- and white-ball cricket, produce higher-quality matches, and ease the strain on players' workloads.

From BBC ● Sep. 27, 2022

Many were Dothraki horselords, big men with red- brown skin, their drooping mustachios bound in metal rings, their black hair oiled and braided and hung with bells.

From "A Game of Thrones" by George R.R. Martin

Veterans proudly wore the distinctive berets of their old regiments -red for the Colonials recruited overseas, blue for paratroopers of Metropolitan France, green for Foreign Legionnaires.

From Time Magazine Archive

A full-page illustration from a 13th-century manuscript is resplendent with lovely reds, greens and blues.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 7, 2026

Throughout the day, fans crossed the grounds in bright Latin American soccer jerseys, the eye-catching complementary greens and reds of Mexico and the rich blue of El Salvador dotting the crowd.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 4, 2026

I know a sommelier ready to pour some earthy organic reds.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 10, 2026

“When you get into the wedding scene, everybody is in pinks, soft reds, oranges and yellows,” Maciek said.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 30, 2026

The sky is an aurora of reds, oranges, and violets, dotted with infinite batches of twinkling stars.

From "Kwame Crashes the Underworld" by Craig Kofi Farmer

These stars shine with a bright blue color that makes them appear much younger than the older, redder stars surrounding them.

From Science Daily ● Jul. 5, 2026

He got redder and redder in the face, yelling and leading the crowd in chants of “Shame on Sliwa!”

From Slate ● Nov. 5, 2025

Porter was a loyal soldier — she helped local candidates win through endorsements and made progressives in the redder parts of O.C. believe they could run and win.

From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 8, 2024

They are sweeter and redder, more candylike than acidic.

From Salon ● Dec. 24, 2023

I thought maybe her leg was bothering her, as it seemed to be redder and oozier than ever.

From "Moon Over Manifest" by Clare Vanderpool

It’s an oasis for arts, tasteful wealth, and Southern manners in one of the reddest parts of the country.

From Slate ● May 4, 2026

And for the open seat in Iowa, Democrats seem likely to nominate a two-time Paralympic gold medalist who represents the reddest state house seat held by a Democrat.

From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 20, 2026

"It's the reddest, dustiest red supergiant that we've seen explode as a supernova," Suresh said.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 9, 2025

Union steamfitter Dan Osborn is running against incumbent Republican Sen. Deb Fischer in Nebraska, one of the country's reddest states — and there are signs that the race could be much closer than expected.

From Salon ● Sep. 18, 2024

She had a face full of freckles and the reddest hair I’d ever seen, pulled up into a sloppy, lopsided bun on top of her head.

From "The First Rule of Punk" by Celia C. Pérez

As Iran's young Shah came to power 20,000 Russian troops were camped outside Teheran, redding up their tanks for a triumphal entry into the city.

From Time Magazine Archive

Mrs. Truman was redding up her rambling, 80-year-old home at 219 North Delaware St. in Independence.

From Time Magazine Archive

The room is, of course, very clear and clean and simple: not by any means cheaply equipped, but designed to economize the labor of redding and repair just as much as possible.

From The Cost of Shelter by Ellen H. Richards

But she has stown the king's redding kaim, Likewise the queen her wedding knife; And sent the tokens to Carmichael,35 To cause young Logie get his life.

From English and Scottish Ballads, Volume IV by Various

Amarilly substituted a work apron for the little white covering, and was soon engaged in "redding."

From Amarilly of Clothes-line Alley by Belle Kanaris Maniates

Related Words

• cardinal
• coral
• crimson
• flaming
• glowing
• maroon
• rose
• wine