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⇱ RED Definition & Meaning | Dictionary.com


red

1 American  
[red] / rɛd /

noun

  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 dollSlang. 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, reddest
  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 (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: innerarchery 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

"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

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

"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

verb

  1. another word for redden

"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
Red 2 British  
/ rɛd /

adjective

  1. Communist, Socialist, or Soviet

  2. radical, leftist, or revolutionary

"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

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

"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
red 3 British  
/ rɛd /

verb

  1. (tr) a variant spelling of redd 1

"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

red More Idioms  

    More idioms and phrases containing red


Other Word Forms

  • redly adverb
  • redness noun

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; rubella, rufescent, erythro-

Origin of -red5

Middle English -rede, Old English -rǣden

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.

Slaughter declined to say which of any of the party's policies would be a red line in negotiations with other parties hoping to lead the next government, but said that housing was a priority.

From BBC • Apr. 7, 2026

Then the bell peppers: red and green, for contrast in both flavor and color.

From Salon • Apr. 7, 2026

They have won pretty much everywhere with a wide range of candidates—in special elections and regular elections in deep red territory and in more contested geographies, running candidates of the far left and the center-left.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 6, 2026

If CPI data show a biting price-spike, that will be among the first major red flags for the U.S. economy, which could trigger a spiral in stocks as long as the conflict stretches on.

From Barron's • Apr. 6, 2026

I unscrew the bottle and pull the brush from the pot of dark red liquid.

From "Red Flags and Butterflies" by Sheryl Azzam

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.