red flag
the symbol or banner of a left-wing revolutionary party.
a danger signal.
something that provokes an angry or hostile reaction: The talk about raising taxes was a red flag to many voters.
Also called powder flag. Nautical. a red burgee, designating in the International Code of Signals the letter “B,” flown by itself to show that a vessel is carrying, loading, or discharging explosives or highly inflammable material.
(initial capital letters) a war game the U.S. Air Force holds several times each year at Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada, to train personnel in air combat.
Origin of red flag
1Other definitions for red-flag (2 of 2)
to mark or draw attention to for a particular purpose: The department has red-flagged the most urgent repair work to be done.
to provoke the attention of; alert; arouse: The animal's refusal to eat red-flagged the keeper that something was wrong.
of or relating to a red flag.
intended or serving to emphasize, warn, incite, or provoke.
Origin of red-flag
2Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use red flag in a sentence
The bigger the claim made in the headline, the bigger the red flag it raises for me.
How to Tell When a Scientific Study Is Total B.S. | Russell Saunders | August 22, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTRussians with us and red flag too, but you still sit on your sofa.
Among pilots this raised no red flag: it indicated an enthusiastic professional proud of his skills.
The Worst Place in the World for MH370 to Go Missing | Clive Irving | April 5, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTLack of video in the Israeli attack was “a big red flag” that initial reports may have been false.
How the Syrian War Subreddit Scoops Mainstream Media | Nina Strochlic | November 7, 2013 | THE DAILY BEASTThis should have been a red flag to everyone, regardless of what they thought of Fox News.
How Hope and Change Gave Way to Spying on the Press | Kirsten Powers | May 21, 2013 | THE DAILY BEAST
Thus shall we see the destinies of this country guided under the orange and red flag.
The Philippine Islands | John ForemanIt seemed an exceedingly long time before the expected "extra" arrived, and when it did come it bore another red flag.
It is supposed that at Bunker Hill our troops carried a red flag, with a pine tree on a white field in the corner.
Key-Notes of American Liberty | VariousTommy had come out, and had hailed the man who walked in front of the machine with a red flag.
Mushroom Town | Oliver OnionsOnly the waving of the red flag of Socialism could rouse in him what seemed to us others a certain savageness of intolerance.
The Letters of Ambrose Bierce | Ambrose Bierce
British Dictionary definitions for red flag (1 of 2)
a symbol of socialism, communism, or revolution
a warning of danger or a signal to stop
British Dictionary definitions for Red Flag (2 of 2)
the Red Flag a socialist song, written by James Connell (1852–1929), Irish political activist, in 1889
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
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