red

¹

[ red ]

noun

1. any of various colors resembling the color of blood; the primary color at one extreme end of the visible spectrum, an effect of light with a wavelength between 610 and 780 nanometers.
2. something red.
3. Often Red. Older Slang: Usually Disparaging. a radical leftist in politics, especially a Communist.
4. Informal. red light ( def 1 ).
5. Informal. red wine:

   a glass of red.

6. Also called red bird,. Slang. a capsule of the drug secobarbital, usually red in color:

   He was caught with a half dozen reds in the bottom of his pack of cigarettes.

adjective

, red·der, red·dest.

1. of the color red; of or like the color of blood:

   a red rose.

2. reddish purple in color:

   red wine made from purple grapes.

3. orange, golden brown, or reddish brown in color:

   red hair.

4. having distinctive areas or markings of red:

   a red robin.

5. bloodshot:

   red eyes from allergies.

6. (of the face) flushed or blushing, as from shame:

   cheeks red with embarrassment.

7. of or indicating a state of financial loss or indebtedness:

   the red column in the ledger.

8. Politics. relating to, supporting, or belonging to the Republican Party in the United States; Republican: Compare blue ( def 20a ).

   This is big news in that it flips a red Senate seat to blue.

9. Older Slang: Usually Disparaging.
   1. radically left politically.
   2. Often Red. communist:

      Red China.

10. Older Use: Disparaging and Offensive. relating to, noting, or characteristic of North American Indian peoples.

red

²

[ red ]

verb (used with object)

, red, red·ding.

1. redd ¹.

Red

³

[ red ]

noun

1. a male or female given name.
2. a nickname typically given to someone with red hair.

red-

⁴

1. variant of re- before a vowel or h in some words:

   redintegrate.

-red

⁵

1. a native English suffix, denoting condition, formerly used in the formation of nouns:

   hatred; kindred.

red

¹

/ rɛd /

noun

1. any of a group of colours, such as that of a ripe tomato or fresh blood, that lie at one end of the visible spectrum, next to orange, and are perceived by the eye when light in the approximate wavelength range 740–620 nanometres falls on the retina. Red is the complementary colour of cyan and forms a set of primary colours with blue and green rubicundruddy
2. a pigment or dye of or producing these colours
3. red cloth or clothing

   dressed in red

4. a red ball in snooker, billiards, etc
5. (in roulette and other gambling games) one of two colours on which players may place even bets, the other being black
6. Also calledinner archery a red ring on a target, between the blue and the gold, scoring seven points
7. in the red informal.
   in debit; owing money
8. see red informal.
   to become very angry

adjective

1. of the colour red
2. reddish in colour or having parts or marks that are reddish

   red deer

   red hair

3. having the face temporarily suffused with blood, being a sign of anger, shame, etc
4. (of the complexion) rosy; florid
5. (of the eyes) bloodshot
6. (of the hands) stained with blood, as after committing murder
7. bloody or violent

   red revolution

8. (of wine) made from black grapes and coloured by their skins
9. denoting the highest degree of urgency in an emergency; used by the police and the army and informally (esp in the phrase red alert )
10. relating to, supporting, or representing the Republican Party Compare blue

verb

1. another word for redden

red

²

/ rɛd /

verb

1. tr a variant spelling of redd 1

Red

³

/ rɛd /

adjective

1. Communist, Socialist, or Soviet
2. radical, leftist, or revolutionary

noun

1. a member or supporter of a Communist or Socialist Party or a national of a state having such a government, esp the former Soviet Union
2. a radical, leftist, or revolutionary

Derived Forms

• ˈredness, noun
• ˈredly, adverb

Other Words From

• red·ly adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of red¹

First recorded before 900; Middle English red, Old English rēad; cognate with German rot, Dutch rood, Old Norse raudhr, Latin rūfus, ruber, Greek erythrós; rubella, rufescent, erythro-

Origin of red²

Middle English -rede, Old English -rǣden

Word History and Origins

Origin of red¹

Old English rēad ; compare Old High German rōt , Gothic rauths , Latin ruber , Greek eruthros , Sanskrit rohita

Origin of red²

C19: from the colour chosen to symbolize revolutionary socialism

Idioms and Phrases

Idioms

1. in the red, operating at a loss or being in debt ( in the black ):

   The newspaper strike put many businesses in the red.

2. see red, Informal. to become very angry; become enraged:

   Snobs make her see red.

3. paint the town red. paint ( def 16 ).

More idioms and phrases containing red

• catch red-handed
• in the red
• not worth a dime (red cent)
• paint the town red
• see red

Example Sentences

But he said the groups do what they can to check new members for "red flags".

From BBC

The shift from comfortably red on election night to uncomfortably purple two weeks later has been held up by right-wing agitators as evidence of voter fraud.

From Los Angeles Times

The latter group included the red states Florida, Georgia, Ohio, Iowa, Idaho and Oklahoma.

From Los Angeles Times

An original pair of red glitter slippers worn by Judy Garland in the famous film The Wizard of Oz are going on display in central London.

From BBC

He might have won had Mercedes not overruled his wish to stay out rather than pit for fresh tyres shortly before the red flag.

From BBC

Related Words

• cardinal
• coral
• crimson
• flaming
• glowing
• maroon
• rose
• wine