Word.ws English Dictionary

red flag

red flag noun: used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see red, flag.

Noun

red flag (plural red flags)

  1. Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see red, flag.
  2. (figuratively) A cue, warning, or alert; a sign or signal that something is wrong.
    • Improper formatting is a red flag that you should look for other problems with the data.
    • The first major red flag with Barbara was her use of emojis. After our second session, in which I listed my many negative qualities, she said my long-term mission was to accept myself – a statement she ended with a winking face.2016 July 9, Angelina Chapin, “Text therapy: once my therapist sent me an emoji, I knew it was game over”, in Katharine Viner, editor, The Guardian, London: Guardian News & Media, →ISSN, →OCLC...
    Antonyms:
    green flag
    1. (figuratively) A flag used as a signal that the race must be stopped immediately (and possibly restarted).
      • Typically, a red flag is used when it rains or when the safety of the clean-up crews is in danger because there is too much debris or oil on the track.2005, James A. Vlasich, Horsehide, Pigskin, Oval Tracks and Apple Pie, →ISBN, page 177
      • A red flag may be waved after a bad start or if a rider is injured. If you see a red flag, stop immediately and return to the starting line.2017, Jill Sherman, Racing Personal Watercraft (Sea-Doos), →ISBN, page 37
    2. (UK, figuratively, historical) A flag formerly used by a railway guard to warn the driver not to start the train.
  3. A red or predominantly red flag symbolizing a left-wing ideological movement, such as socialism, communism or the labour movement.
    • Some chanted: "Pride, pride, national pride" and "Poland should be national not red or rainbow-coloured", in a reference to the red flag of the Soviet Union and the symbol of gay pride.2018 November 11, “Polish government officials march with far-right groups to mark century of independence”, in The Daily Telegraph, archived from the original on 07 Mar 2023
  4. (US, figuratively) Something that will enrage a particular person; a red rag.

Proper noun capitalized: Red Flag

Red Flag

  1. (US) A series of advanced, realistic air combat training exercises conducted by the U.S. Air Force.
  2. A socialist song, emphasising the sacrifices and solidarity of the international labor movement.
  3. (US) Synonym of red flag warning

red flag meaning in Tamil, Telugu, Tagalog and Malay

red flag in Tamil

அபாயக்கொடி, செங்கொடி

red flag in Telugu

a cue, warning, or alert; a sign or signal that something is wrong
ఎర్ర జెండా erra jeṇḍā

red flag in Tagalog

left-wing symbol
bandilang pula

red flag in Malay

left-wing symbol
bendera merah

Examples of red flag in a sentence

  • In the pre-cellphone world of the early '80s, my dad might have done a few things that today would raise a few red flags, but in truth cultivated a sense of independence.2021 June 19, David Vecsey, “Former Times Columnist George Vecsey Gets Tribute From Son”, in The New York Times, New York, N.Y.: The New...
  • Evolved Ape investors noticed several red flags leading up to Evil Ape's rug pull.2021 October 5, Ekin Genç, “Investors Spent Millions on 'Evolved Apes' NFTs. Then They Got Scammed.”, in VICE, archived from the original...
  • The race was punctuated by two red flags, the first caused by a pile-up on the pit straight, the second by a high-speed crash for Lance Stroll.2020 September 13, Andrew Benson, “Tuscan Grand Prix: Lewis Hamilton claims 90th win after incredible race”, in BBC News, archived from the...

Synonyms of red flag

Antonyms

Forms of red flag

pluralred flags

Words formed from red flag

Questions about red flag

What does red flag mean?
Red flag means used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see red, flag.
What is red flag in Tamil?
Red flag in Tamil is அபாயக்கொடி, செங்கொடி. See Red flag meaning in Tamil.
How do you use red flag in a sentence?
In the pre-cellphone world of the early '80s, my dad might have done a few things that today would raise a few red flags, but in truth cultivated a sense of independence.
What part of speech is red flag?
Red flag can be a noun or a proper noun.
What is the plural of red flag?
The plural of red flag is red flags.

Words near red flag in the dictionary

  1. red figure
  2. Red Finland
  3. red fir
  4. red fire
  5. red firs
  6. red flag
  7. red flag day
  8. red flag days
  9. red flag in front of a bull
  10. red flag knowledge
  11. red flag law

Source and license

Adapted from Wiktionary: red flag (page history and authors); Red Flag (page history and authors); red flag (Tamil Wiktionary) (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.

Last updated:

Pronunciation audio from Wikimedia Commons, each file under its own free license: En-au-red flag.ogg.

Cite this entry: “red flag.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/red_flag. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.