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red light

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noun

a red lamp, used as a traffic signal to mean “stop.”
an order or directive to halt an action, project, etc.: There's a red light on all unnecessary expenses.
a children's running game in which players must stop when “Red light!” is called.
a signal of danger; warning.

Nearby words

  1. red kangaroo,
  2. red kowhai,
  3. red label,
  4. red larkspur,
  5. red lead,
  6. red liquor,
  7. red maids,
  8. red man,
  9. red maple,
  10. red mass

Origin of red light

First recorded in 1840–50

red-light

[ red-lahyt ]
/ ˈrɛdˈlaɪt /

verb (used with object), red-light·ed, red-light·ing.

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

Origin of red-light

First recorded in 1895–1900
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for redlight

British Dictionary definitions for redlight

red light

noun

a signal to stop, esp a red traffic signal in a system of traffic lights
a danger signal
an instruction to stop or discontinue
  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
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012