red-light

1 of 2

adjective

variants or less commonly red light
: relating to or being an area with many brothels or sex workers
Just inside the entrance to "Picasso Érotique," the exhibition's designer has recreated an imagined bordello bedroom as one might have existed in the red-light district of Barcelona in the era of Picasso's youth.Arthur C. Danto
In the beginning, entertainment ran more along the lines of saloons, card games and red light activities.Jennifer Houghton

red light

2 of 2

noun

: a warning signal
especially : a red traffic signal

Examples of red-light in a Sentence

Noun the reporter took her glower as a red light and stopped asking questions
Recent Examples on the Web
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Adjective
During this three-day getaway, expect activities like yoga that encourages better sleep, bio-hacks such as red-light therapy and energy-healing sound baths, soothing beach walks and signature spa treatments. Miami Herald, 7 Jan. 2025 Sandwiched between high-shine mega-malls and the pricey Tanglin district, it's long felt a bit sleepy, with a smattering of karaoke lounges and red-light massage parlors. Chloe Sachdev, Condé Nast Traveler, 27 Dec. 2024
Noun
Tran then ran a red light and fled home to Yonkers. Graham Rayman, New York Daily News, 14 Jan. 2025 The new Republican governor, George Voinovich, was a devout Catholic who went to Mass multiple times a week, an expression of a faith that was inherited from his Slovenian American mother and deepened by the loss of his 9-year-old daughter, who was struck by a van that ran a red light. Alec MacGillis, ProPublica, 13 Jan. 2025 See all Example Sentences for red-light 

Word History

First Known Use

Adjective

1894, in the meaning defined above

Noun

1849, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of red-light was in 1849

Dictionary Entries Near red-light

Cite this Entry

“Red-light.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/red-light. Accessed 18 Jan. 2025.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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