green light

noun

: authority or permission to proceed

green-light

ˈgrēn-ˌlīt 

transitive verb

Synonyms of green light

• permission
• authorization
• consent
• granting
• sanction
• permit

Examples of green light in a Sentence

we were given the green light to use the town commons for our fund-raiser

Recent Examples on the Web

The court’s conservative majority has approved nearly all of the president’s unprecedented number of emergency applications seeking a green light for government layoffs, federal funding freezes, expedited removal of immigrants, and expulsion of transgender military service members. —Devin Dwyer, ABC News, 24 Feb. 2026

But the speaker has been loath to put anything that could be politically damaging on the floor without a green light from the White House. —Rachel Schilke, The Washington Examiner, 24 Feb. 2026

Emergency vehicles will get a green light while vehicles approaching from a cross direction are stopped, helping to reduce the potential for crashes. —Jim Woods, Chicago Tribune, 24 Feb. 2026

This perfectly aligns with the RSI breakout, giving us a high-confidence green light for the trade. —Nishant Pant, CNBC, 24 Feb. 2026

Word History

Etymology

from the green traffic light which signals permission to proceed

First Known Use

1937, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for green light

• affright
• airtight
• albite
• alight
• alright
• aplite
• aright
• bainite
• birthright
• bobwhite
• bornite
• bullfight