redline

or red-line

[ verb red-lahyn; noun red-lahyn ]

verb (used with object)

, red·lined, red·lin·ing.

1. to treat by redlining (an area or neighborhood).
2. to establish the recommended safe speed of (an airplane):

   The bomber is redlined at 650 miles an hour.

3. to draw a canceling red line through (an item on a list).
4. to mark or designate for cancellation, rejection, dismissal, or the like:

   club members redlined for unpaid dues.

5. to cause (an airplane) to be grounded.

verb (used without object)

, red·lined, red·lin·ing.

1. to engage in redlining.

noun

1. Automotive.
   1. the maximum rotational speed, or angular velocity, of the engine crankshaft that is considered safe: often measured in rpm.
   2. a red line or boundary of a red area that delineates such a value, as on a tachometer.

redline

/ ˈrɛdˌlaɪn /

verb

1. (esp of a bank or group of banks) to refuse a loan to (a person or country) because of the presumed risks involved
2. to restrict people's access to goods or services on the basis of the area in which they live

Other Words From

• redliner noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of redline¹

First recorded in 1940–45; red ¹ + line ¹

Example Sentences

The very short headline set was pretty typical Carti–ripping live metal guitars, frantic redlined vocals and a scrum of new cuts like “Ketamine” that seethed with tension and circle-pit chaos.

From Los Angeles Times

Bruins coach DeShaun Foster credited Gilmer’s early arrival for spring practice, a willingness to prove himself on special teams and a motor that requires continual monitoring by the coaching staff to prevent redlining.

From Los Angeles Times

Starting in the 1930s, the federal government sorted neighborhoods in 239 cities and deemed redlined areas — typically home to Black people, Jews, immigrants, and poor white people — unfit for mortgage lending.

From Salon

“Some may conclude there were no redlines for Iran in Lebanon,” he said.

From Los Angeles Times

In urban areas, research has found that oil wells are more likely to be sited in neighborhoods that were historically redlined, or racially segregated.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

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• assess
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• determine
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• rank
• regard
• score