in the red
idiom
: spending and owing more money than is being earned
Apparently the company had been in the red for some time before it went out of business.
Examples of in the red in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Herbert was injured on a scramble to his left with the Chargers in the red zone.
—
Elliott Teaford, Oc Register, 3 Dec. 2025
Drake Maye has proven to be one of the best deep ball throwers in the NFL and Boutte is his favorite target downfield, on top of being one Maye’s favorites in the red zone as well.
—Eddie Brown, San Diego Union-Tribune, 2 Dec. 2025
The Chargers defense allowed a touchdown on the ensuing possession, busting a coverage in the red zone.
—Daniel Popper, New York Times, 1 Dec. 2025
The pair from Syracuse, New York, declared bankruptcy and were no longer in the red by 2018, but the following year, Horan, now 52, was diagnosed with terminal lung cancer.
—Lucy Notarantonio, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for in the red
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Elliott Teaford, Oc Register, 3 Dec. 2025
Drake Maye has proven to be one of the best deep ball throwers in the NFL and Boutte is his favorite target downfield, on top of being one Maye’s favorites in the red zone as well.
—Eddie Brown, San Diego Union-Tribune, 2 Dec. 2025
The Chargers defense allowed a touchdown on the ensuing possession, busting a coverage in the red zone.
—Daniel Popper, New York Times, 1 Dec. 2025
The pair from Syracuse, New York, declared bankruptcy and were no longer in the red by 2018, but the following year, Horan, now 52, was diagnosed with terminal lung cancer.
—Lucy Notarantonio, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for in the red
Cite this Entry
“In the red.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/in%20the%20red. Accessed 7 Dec. 2025.
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