Dictionary.com
Thesaurus.com
Showing results for traffic light. Search instead for traffic lives.
Synonyms

traffic light

American  

noun

  1. a set of electrically operated signal lights used to direct or control traffic at intersections.

traffic light British  

noun

  1. one of a set of coloured lights placed at crossroads, junctions, etc, to control the flow of traffic. A red light indicates that traffic must stop and a green light that it may go: usually an amber warning light is added between the red and the green

"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

Etymology

Origin of traffic light

First recorded in 1925–30

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.

But for many of us, there can be some surprising signals—like a flashing yellow traffic light inside your head.

From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 19, 2025

Indian home minister Amit Shah said the blast occurred around 7 p.m. in a Hyundai i20 car at a traffic light near the Red Fort.

From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 10, 2025

Ofsted's new inspection framework is based on a "traffic light system" which will grade schools on several areas of school life, as well as on safeguarding.

From BBC • Nov. 3, 2025

Last month, police officers in San Bruno, CA, observed a self-driving Waymo make an illegal U-turn at a traffic light.

From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 21, 2025

Aunty Uju asked, barely glancing at the boy before turning back to a traffic light.

From "Americanah" by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

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.