the red zone

noun

American football
: the area of the field that is inside an opponent's 20-yard line

Examples of the red zone in a Sentence

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.
Once the Seahawks goalie gets into the red zone, does someone throw a penalty kick? M. Carrie Allan, Washington Post, 3 Feb. 2026 But Denver never reached the red zone again itself. Mike Jones, New York Times, 26 Jan. 2026 With the Bears trailing 17-10, Williams led Chicago into the red zone with under a minute left in regulation. Rohan Nadkarni, NBC news, 19 Jan. 2026 The Broncos have only reached the red zone five times in the last three games, scoring two touchdowns, and only once in a goal-to-go situation. Troy Renck, Denver Post, 14 Jan. 2026 See All Example Sentences for the red zone

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“The red zone.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/the%20red%20zone. Accessed 15 Feb. 2026.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster