red-handed
adverb or adjective
red-hand·ed
ˈred-ˈhan-dəd 
: in the act of committing a crime or misdeed
caught red-handed
Examples of red-handed in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Authors deserve much more from a company that got caught red-handed stealing millions of books.
—
James Folta, Literary Hub, 8 Sep. 2025
Many of them were caught red-handed accepting bribes and sentenced to prison.
—Daria Kaleniuk, Foreign Affairs, 3 Sep. 2025
In June 2023, Priester was charged with two counts of grand larceny for allegedly stripping flagpoles in front of several Riverhead, N.Y., businesses — after two weeks of mysterious flag thefts — and was caught red-handed with the flagpole hooks.
—Theresa Braine, New York Daily News, 21 Aug. 2025
Meta caught about 135,000 of them sexualizing children red-handed.
—Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 1 Aug. 2025
And, last year, a cat was caught red-handed after coming home with the neighbor's chicken dinner in tow.
—Alice Gibbs, MSNBC Newsweek, 11 July 2025
After he's caught red-handed, the pilot goes to confront him when the captain stabs him before throwing him overboard.
—Esther Kang, People.com, 26 June 2025
Hungry and miserable, she is caught red-handed robbing someone’s apartment, sparking a taste for kleptomania.
—Samantha Bergeson, IndieWire, 6 May 2025
Catching yourself red-handed is the first step to focus on what’s real.
—Mark Travers, Forbes.com, 1 May 2025
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James Folta, Literary Hub, 8 Sep. 2025
Many of them were caught red-handed accepting bribes and sentenced to prison.
—Daria Kaleniuk, Foreign Affairs, 3 Sep. 2025
In June 2023, Priester was charged with two counts of grand larceny for allegedly stripping flagpoles in front of several Riverhead, N.Y., businesses — after two weeks of mysterious flag thefts — and was caught red-handed with the flagpole hooks.
—Theresa Braine, New York Daily News, 21 Aug. 2025
Meta caught about 135,000 of them sexualizing children red-handed.
—Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 1 Aug. 2025
And, last year, a cat was caught red-handed after coming home with the neighbor's chicken dinner in tow.
—Alice Gibbs, MSNBC Newsweek, 11 July 2025
After he's caught red-handed, the pilot goes to confront him when the captain stabs him before throwing him overboard.
—Esther Kang, People.com, 26 June 2025
Hungry and miserable, she is caught red-handed robbing someone’s apartment, sparking a taste for kleptomania.
—Samantha Bergeson, IndieWire, 6 May 2025
Catching yourself red-handed is the first step to focus on what’s real.
—Mark Travers, Forbes.com, 1 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Red-handed.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/red-handed. Accessed 18 Sep. 2025.
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