red
red [red reds redder reddest] adjective, noun BrE [red] NAmE [red]
adjective (red·der, red·dest)
1. having the colour of blood or fire
•a red car
• The lights (= traffic lights) changed to red before I could get across.
2. (of the eyes) ↑bloodshot (= with thin lines of blood in them) or surrounded by red or very pink skin
• Her eyes were red from crying.
3. (of the face)bright red or pink, especially because you are angry, embarrassed or ashamed
• He stammered something and went very red in the face.
• (BrE) She went red as a beetroot.
• (NAmE)She went red as a beet.
4. (of hair or an animal's fur)reddish-brown in colour
•a red-haired girl
•red deer
see also ↑redhead
5. (informal, politics) (sometimes disapproving)having very ↑left-wing political opinions
compare ↑pink
6. (politics)(of an area in the US) having more people who vote for the Republican candidate than the Democratic one
•red states/counties
Opp: ↑blue
more at paint the town red at ↑paint v.
Word Origin:
Old English rēad, of Germanic origin; related to Dutch rood and German rot, from an Indo-European root shared by Latin rufus, ruber, Greek eruthros, and Sanskrit rudhira ‘red’.
Example Bank:
•He could feel himself going bright red.
•Mr Grubb was shouting and growing redder and redder in the face.
•Ross flushed red with embarrassment.
•The coals glowed red in the dying fire.
•The leaves looked slightly red.
•flaming red hair
•her ruby red lips
•Her eyes were red and puffy, as if she'd been crying.
•The traffic light turned red.
Idioms: ↑in the red ▪ ↑red in tooth and claw ▪ ↑red rag to a bull ▪ ↑see red
Derived Word: ↑redness
noun
1. countable, uncountable the colour of blood or fire
• She often wears red.
•the reds and browns of the woods in the fall (= of the leaves)
• I've marked the corrections in red (= in red ink).
•The traffic lights were on red.
2. uncountable, countable red wine
•Would you prefer red or white?
•an Italian red
3. countable (informal, disapproving, politics)a person with very ↑left-wing political opinions
compare ↑pinko
Word Origin:
Old English rēad, of Germanic origin; related to Dutch rood and German rot, from an Indo-European root shared by Latin rufus, ruber, Greek eruthros, and Sanskrit rudhira ‘red’.
See also: ↑like waving a red flag in front of a bull
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