red flag
1 Americannoun
-
the symbol or banner of a left-wing revolutionary party.
-
a danger signal.
-
something that provokes an angry or hostile reaction.
The talk about raising taxes was a red flag to many voters.
-
Also called powder flag. Nautical. a red burgee, designating in the International Code of Signals the letter “B,” flown by itself to show that a vessel is carrying, loading, or discharging explosives or highly inflammable material.
-
(initial capital letters) a war game the U.S. Air Force holds several times each year at Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada, to train personnel in air combat.
verb (used with object)
-
to mark or draw attention to for a particular purpose.
The department has red-flagged the most urgent repair work to be done.
-
to provoke the attention of; alert; arouse.
The animal's refusal to eat red-flagged the keeper that something was wrong.
adjective
-
of or relating to a red flag.
-
intended or serving to emphasize, warn, incite, or provoke.
noun
-
a symbol of socialism, communism, or revolution
-
a warning of danger or a signal to stop
noun
Etymology
Origin of red flag1
First recorded in 1770–80
Origin of red-flag2
First recorded in 1880–85
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
“If your partner doesn’t want you to be involved or tries to block access, that’s a red flag.”
When a user makes a trade or a series of trades that line up with an established scenario, red flags go up.
From Barron's
One red flag: It ends on a cliffhanger, and Season 2 has not been green-lit yet, despite the show shooting to the top of Netflix’s charts.
From MarketWatch
Another red flag is being asked to sign a blank tax return, it added.
From MarketWatch
Its conclusion served as a red flag that deterred some parts of the Pentagon from using Grok, the people said.
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
