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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Adjective
Set in the world of Tokyo’s red-light district, Souza’s feature debut won the 119 Marvila Studios Award, the top prize in the Agora’s Works in Progress section, offering sound mixing services in post-production. Christopher Vourlias, Variety, 6 Nov. 2025 Sliwa, the Republican nominee, told Fox News Digital that a Mamdani mayoralty would expand prostitution and trafficking across the city and cement Roosevelt Avenue’s reputation as a red-light corridor of illicit activity and violence. Michael Dorgan, FOXNews.com, 4 Nov. 2025
Noun
For one night, under cold rain and flickering red lights, the noise faded. Ira Gorawara, New York Times, 9 Nov. 2025 Oxygen emits either a greenish-yellow light (the most familiar color of the aurora) or a red light; nitrogen generally gives off a blue light. Jenna Prestininzi, Freep.com, 7 Nov. 2025 See All Example Sentences for red-light

Word History

First Known Use

Adjective

1878, in the meaning defined above

Noun

1849, in the meaning defined above

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

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Red-light.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/red-light. Accessed 13 Nov. 2025.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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