the green light
noun
: permission to start or continue something (such as a project)
His boss finally gave him the green light to start the new project.
Examples of the green light in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
League Two Bradford City were given the green light over a loan proposal, while there was also talk of a possible switch to Gillingham.
—
Richard Sutcliffe, New York Times, 13 Aug. 2025
But, to accomplish that peace, Trump gave the green light for US companies to sell less-advanced artificial intelligence chips to China, drawing the ire of hawks within his own party.
—Phil Mattingly, CNN Money, 13 Aug. 2025
View gallery - 5 images The Italian government has given the green light to an incredibly ambitious plan to connect Sicily and mainland Italy with the world's longest suspension bridge.
—New Atlas, 11 Aug. 2025
The plan gives the green light to Defense Minister Israel Katz to call up over 400,000 military reservists to carry out the operation until November 30.
—Anders Hagstrom, FOXNews.com, 11 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for the green light
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.
Richard Sutcliffe, New York Times, 13 Aug. 2025
But, to accomplish that peace, Trump gave the green light for US companies to sell less-advanced artificial intelligence chips to China, drawing the ire of hawks within his own party.
—Phil Mattingly, CNN Money, 13 Aug. 2025
View gallery - 5 images The Italian government has given the green light to an incredibly ambitious plan to connect Sicily and mainland Italy with the world's longest suspension bridge.
—New Atlas, 11 Aug. 2025
The plan gives the green light to Defense Minister Israel Katz to call up over 400,000 military reservists to carry out the operation until November 30.
—Anders Hagstrom, FOXNews.com, 11 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for the green light
Cite this Entry
“The green light.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/the%20green%20light. Accessed 20 Aug. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share