as in permissions
the approval by someone in authority for the doing of something
we were given the green light to use the town commons for our fund-raiser
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in permits
to give permission for or to approve of
as soon as the project is green-lighted, we'll schedule a planning meeting
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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.
Recent Examples of green lights
Michael Barnes, Austin American Statesman, 18 Feb. 2026
Some educators use images of red traffic lights (no AI) and green lights (yes AI) at the top of worksheets.
—Liz Shulman, Chicago Tribune, 16 Feb. 2026
Naturally, there are certain days of the year that stand out as green lights, but aside from the notable transits ahead, read on for the luckiest days of the year in 2026.
—Valerie Mesa, PEOPLE, 27 Jan. 2026
The operators likely see green lights and stable voltage readings on their screens even as transformers are overloading and breakers are tripping in the physical world.
—Saman Zonouz, The Conversation, 22 Jan. 2026
The operators likely see green lights and stable voltage readings on their screens even as transformers are overloading and breakers are tripping in the physical world.
—Saman Zonouz, Fortune, 21 Jan. 2026
Some reports include phone-camera footage capturing green lights traveling beneath the ocean surface, leaving viewers questioning whether these are natural anomalies, secret military experiments, or something else entirely.
—Amir Daftari, MSNBC Newsweek, 27 Oct. 2025
This article was updated with the correct afternoon window on weekedays for the Metro Express buses to receive automatic green lights.
—Douglas Hanks, Miami Herald, 23 Oct. 2025
The crowd takes it all in wearing headphones with green lights, turning the night into a kind of silent disco in a scene straight out of Mad Max.
—David Hochman, Forbes.com, 14 Sep. 2025
Noun
Some businesses get folks to shine green lights at them to move them.
—Michael Barnes, Austin American Statesman, 18 Feb. 2026
Some educators use images of red traffic lights (no AI) and green lights (yes AI) at the top of worksheets.
—Liz Shulman, Chicago Tribune, 16 Feb. 2026
Naturally, there are certain days of the year that stand out as green lights, but aside from the notable transits ahead, read on for the luckiest days of the year in 2026.
—Valerie Mesa, PEOPLE, 27 Jan. 2026
The operators likely see green lights and stable voltage readings on their screens even as transformers are overloading and breakers are tripping in the physical world.
—Saman Zonouz, The Conversation, 22 Jan. 2026
The operators likely see green lights and stable voltage readings on their screens even as transformers are overloading and breakers are tripping in the physical world.
—Saman Zonouz, Fortune, 21 Jan. 2026
Some reports include phone-camera footage capturing green lights traveling beneath the ocean surface, leaving viewers questioning whether these are natural anomalies, secret military experiments, or something else entirely.
—Amir Daftari, MSNBC Newsweek, 27 Oct. 2025
This article was updated with the correct afternoon window on weekedays for the Metro Express buses to receive automatic green lights.
—Douglas Hanks, Miami Herald, 23 Oct. 2025
The crowd takes it all in wearing headphones with green lights, turning the night into a kind of silent disco in a scene straight out of Mad Max.
—David Hochman, Forbes.com, 14 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for green lights
Noun
-
The search box is prominent, and the landing screen displays common functions for automations, customization, permissions, and workflows.—
John Brandon,
PC Magazine,
31 Mar. 2026
-
Pricing and availability are unknown with various regulatory permissions pending.—
James Raia,
Mercury News,
29 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Kurt's key takeaways Building permits and zoning approvals already involve paperwork, deadlines and fees.—
Kurt Knutsson,
FOXNews.com,
30 Mar. 2026
-
For men, black tie permits a suit or a tuxedo, while white tie demands the black tailcoat and white bowtie brief as explained above.—
Vogue,
Vogue,
27 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Insurance plans often have cost-sharing requirements and red tape such as prior authorizations that can delay or deny coverage.—
Ken Alltucker,
USA Today,
27 Mar. 2026
-
While authorizations with oversight conditions weren’t unusual, arriving at one under these circumstances was.—
Renee Dudley,
ProPublica,
18 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
McConnell wrote that his final judgment allows the United States to start to use the Federal Debt Collection Procedure to collect the payment.—
Jack Perry,
USA Today,
28 Mar. 2026
-
This innovation allows satellites to operate sustainably at very low altitudes, known as Very Low Earth Orbit (VLEO).—
Prabhat Ranjan Mishra,
Interesting Engineering,
27 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Failure to provide additional information or consents will be grounds for disqualification, unless prohibited under applicable law.—
Time,
Time,
10 Feb. 2026
-
Before allowing the use of advertising pixels, cookies or other tracking tools, businesses should investigate what those technologies collect, how that data will be used and what disclosures or consents are required.—
Jodi Daniels,
Forbes.com,
10 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Luis Alvarado, a Republican political analyst, says that Bianco has political motivations of his own.—
Laurie Perez,
CBS News,
30 Mar. 2026
-
Jacoby Windmon has valuable starter reps.—
Alex Zietlow,
Charlotte Observer,
30 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
The continent is reliant on energy imports, and is still reeling from an energy shock caused by the Russia-Ukraine war and sanctions on Russian exports.—
Chloe Taylor,
CNBC,
27 Mar. 2026
-
His secondary goal was to push for sanctions against Maduro and other high-ranking political and military officials in Venezuela after the president had cancelled the opposition’s victorious election results in the National Assembly.—
Jay Weaver,
Miami Herald,
27 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Green lights.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/green%20lights. Accessed 3 Apr. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
