red light

• POS: Noun Phrase

CIDE DICTIONARY

red light,  

•  an electrically operated set of lights at a road intersection which has different lights visible to traffic from different directions, designed to control vehicle traffic through the intersection. Each set of lights typically has a colored red light and also green and amber lights; the color of the light which is lighted at any one time changes automatically to control the flow of traffic through the intersection, allowing flow from different directions in alternating succession. Also called traffic light, traffic signal or stop light. When the red light is illuminated the signal means to stop; green means to go; and amber means to stop or procede through the intersection with caution. In simple intersections of two roads, a red light visible to traffic on one road will usually be accompanied by a green light visible to traffic on the intersecting road. In some locations the lights may be set to be illuminated in other sequences or combinations; a blinking red light is typically equivalent to a “stop” sign, and a blinking amber light typically means “procede with caution”.  [PJC]
•  the condition of a traffic light when the signal visible to the driver of a vehicle is red, signalling that the vehicle must stop and not enter the intersection; I got seven red lights on the way to work.  [PJC]
•  figuratively, a sign or signal that one must stop doing what one is presently doing; as, a fatal side effect is often a red light to continuation of a clinical trial.  [PJC]

THESAURUS

red light

Roman candle, aid to navigation, alarm, amber light, balefire, beacon, beacon fire, bell, bell buoy, blinker, blue peter, buoy, caution light, danger sign, early symptom, falling barometer, flare, fog bell, fog signal, fog whistle, foghorn, gathering clouds, glance, go light, gong buoy, green light, heliograph, high sign, international alphabet flag, international numeral pennant, kick, leer, marker beacon, nod, nudge, omen, parachute flare, pilot flag, poke, police whistle, precursor, preliminary sign, premonitory sign, premonitory symptom, prodroma, prodrome, quarantine flag, radio beacon, red flag, rocket, sailing aid, semaphore, semaphore flag, semaphore telegraph, sign, signal, signal beacon, signal bell, signal fire, signal flag, signal gong, signal gun, signal lamp, signal light, signal mast, signal post, signal rocket, signal shot, signal siren, signal tower, skull and crossbones, spar buoy, stop light, stop-and-go light, storm petrel, stormy petrel, symptom, the nod, the wink, thundercloud, thunderhead, touch, traffic light, traffic signal, warning sign, warning signal, watch fire, white flag, wigwag, wigwag flag, wink, yellow flag, yellow jack

ROGET THESAURUS

red light

Alarm

N alarm, alarum, larum, alarm bell, tocsin, alerts, beat of drum, sound of trumpet, note of alarm, hue and cry, fire cross, signal of distress, blue lights, war-cry, war- whoop, warning, fogsignal, foghorn, yellow flag, danger signal, red light, red flag, fire bell, police whistle, false alarm, cry of wolf, bug-bear, bugaboo, alarming, Int, sauve qui peut!, every man for himself!, qui vive?.