redline

1 of 2

noun

red·​line ˈred-ˈlīn 

: a recommended safety limit : the fastest, farthest, or highest point or degree considered safe

also : the red line which marks this point on a gauge

redline

2 of 2

verb

red·​line ˈred-ˌlīn  -ˈlīn 

redlined; redlining; redlines

intransitive verb

: to withhold home-loan funds or insurance from neighborhoods considered poor economic risks

transitive verb

: to discriminate against in housing or insurance

Examples of redline in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Will legal teams be allowed to review contracts or redlines using generative AI, and if so, with what guardrails in place? —Tom Dunlop, Forbes.com, 16 Sep. 2025

The engine redlines at 6,250 rpm, with peak HP coming at 6,000. —New Atlas, 4 Sep. 2025

Verb

At the same time, residents have endured a tax foreclosure crisis and, decades before that, the city of Detroit was redlined, a practice by government appraisers that led to neighborhood segregation, disinvestment and stripped Black people of home ownership opportunities. —Nushrat Rahman, Freep.com, 14 Oct. 2025

We were also expected to fight against other minorities for space and economic opportunities that white people had no interest in, redlined into the same housing markets and expected to betray each other, told that there was scarcity. —Arabelle Sicardi, Allure, 9 Oct. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

1952, in the meaning defined above

Verb

1968, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense

Rhymes for redline

• affine
• airline
• align
• aline
• assign
• baseline
• beamline
• benign
• bloodline
• bovine
• byline
• canine