redshirt

[ red-shurt ]

noun
    • a high school or college athlete kept out of varsity competition for one year to develop skills and extend eligibility.

    • a child held back from starting kindergarten for one year, the practice of which is believed by some parents to give the child academic, athletic, and social advantages.

  1. a character in a TV show or movie who dies soon after being first introduced: She's a redshirt who won’t make it to the next scene.

verb (used with object)
    • to withdraw (an athlete) from varsity competition for one year.

    • to delay (a child) from starting kindergarten for one year: They redshirt their kids because they think it gives them a competitive edge.

  1. to quickly kill off (a character) in a TV show or movie: That guard is totally going to be redshirted in the next five minutes.

verb (used without object)
    • (of an athlete) to withdraw from varsity competition for one year: He redshirted in 2010, only to come back faster and stronger the following season.

    • to delay a child from starting kindergarten for one year: Would you redshirt if your kid’s preschool teacher recommended it?

Origin of redshirt

1
An Americanism dating back to 1950–55 for def. 1, from the red shirts worn in practice by such athletes; in def. 2, the term is a reference to the original Star Trek series (1966–69), in which characters in red shirts, usually security personnel or engineers, were often killed off as a plot device

Words Nearby redshirt

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use redshirt in a sentence