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Showing results for green light. Search instead for green+light.
Synonyms

green light

1 American  

noun

  1. a green-colored traffic light used to signal drivers, pedestrians, etc., that they may proceed.

  2. authorization; approval; permission.

    The railroad has been given the green light on the proposed fare increase.
green-light 2 American  

verb (used with object)

green-lighted, green-lit, green-lighting

  1. to give permission to proceed; authorize.

    The renovation project was green-lighted by the board of directors.
green light British  

noun

  1. a signal to go, esp a green traffic light

  2. permission to proceed with a project

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

verb

  1. to permit (a project, etc) to proceed

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

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 workers get the green light for a couple of extra days working from home, in all likelihood it would be coming from their immediate managers instead of the company’s top leaders.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 1, 2026

They started quarantine in Houston last month and will continue that as they await the green light for the Artemis 2 lunar mission that's been plagued by technological difficulties and delays.

From Barron's • Mar. 27, 2026

The outcome wasn’t statistically clean though, raising questions about whether the data will be sufficient to get a green light from regulators.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 23, 2026

So “The Faithful” was pitched and a green light was given for the show.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 20, 2026

The Mist sank into the ground and the green light faded.

From "The Last Olympian" by Rick Riordan

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.