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

Unlocking all 197 hp on the way up to a 13,750 rpm redline becomes a joy, rather than a workout. — Michael Van Runkle, Robb Report, 21 Sep. 2026

Those redlines included oil above $100, gas near $5 per gallon and 10-year Treasury yields above 5%. — Spencer Kimball, CNBC, 17 Sep. 2026

Verb

Which is something, considering the fact that the engine doesn’t redline until 8,250 rpm. — Jonathan M. Gitlin, ArsTechnica, 20 Sep. 2026

In that fateful moment, when his phone rang, when DeWalt had to pause his video game, his nerves redlined. — Daniel Flick, AJC.com, 19 Sep. 2026

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
• brucine
• byline