Phrase guide

red light

noun · 5 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

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1

noun

Meaning 1

A warning light, especially as a traffic signal indicating stop.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Examples

  • We ran three red lights on the way to the hospital.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

A sign of a brothel.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

noun

Meaning 3

A denial to proceed a ruling out of any possibility.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: idiomatic

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

4

noun

Meaning 4

the signal to stop

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: traffic light, traffic signal, stoplight

5

noun

Meaning 5

a cautionary sign of danger

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: warning light

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: visual signal

Narrower terms: idiot light

History

Etymology

No etymology was provided for this word.

Across languages

Translations

23 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Arabic: ضَوْء أَحْمَر (ḍawʔ ʔaḥmar) — a warning light, especially as a traffic signal
  • Catalan: llum vermell — a warning light, especially as a traffic signal
  • Chinese Cantonese: 紅燈 /红灯 — a warning light, especially as a traffic signal
  • Chinese Mandarin: 紅燈 /红灯 (hóngdēng) — a warning light, especially as a traffic signal
  • French: feu rouge — a warning light, especially as a traffic signal
  • Georgian: წითელი შუქი (c̣iteli šuki) — a warning light, especially as a traffic signal
  • German: Rotlicht — a warning light, especially as a traffic signal
  • Hungarian: piros fény — a warning light, especially as a traffic signal
  • Irish: solas dearg — a warning light, especially as a traffic signal
  • Japanese: 赤信号 (akashingō) — a warning light, especially as a traffic signal
  • Korean: 적신호 (jeoksinho) — a warning light, especially as a traffic signal
  • Korean: 적색신호 (jeoksaeksinho) — a warning light, especially as a traffic signal
  • Korean: 빨간불 (ppalganbul) — a warning light, especially as a traffic signal
  • Lao: ໄຟແດງ (fai dǣng) — a warning light, especially as a traffic signal
  • Norwegian: rødt lys — a warning light, especially as a traffic signal
  • Russian: кра́сный свет (krásnyj svet) — a warning light, especially as a traffic signal
  • Shan: ၾႆးလႅင် (fái lěng) — a warning light, especially as a traffic signal
  • Shan: ၽႆးလႅင် (phái lěng) — a warning light, especially as a traffic signal
  • Spanish: luz roja — a warning light, especially as a traffic signal
  • Swedish: rödljus — a warning light, especially as a traffic signal
  • Thai: ไฟแดง (fai-dɛɛng) — a warning light, especially as a traffic signal
  • Turkish: kırmızı ışık — a warning light, especially as a traffic signal
  • Vietnamese: đèn đỏ — a warning light, especially as a traffic signal