Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

green light

Word Rarity Uncommon

Frequency: 4.92 in modern English

Syllables: green -light
IPA

15

Scrabble Score

10

Letters

2

Syllables

8

Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

A traffic light in its green state (indicating that vehicles may proceed).

noun

Approval, or permission to proceed.

noun

A go-ahead to commit a crime, specifically to carry out a hit on someone (i.e. to kill).

Slang

Example Sentences

"The drive home was much faster than usual; somehow we managed to hit every green light."
"We have a green light on the project. Work starts today."
"And Crossrail's Class 345 Aventra fleet finally has the green light to carry passengers to Heathrow Airport, after the Office of Rail and Road granted approval for the European Train Control System (ETCS) Level 2 overlay system."
"Yo man, I heard someone had put a green light out on you, so watch your back."

Etymology

From the standard red-green color scheme used in traffic lights and railway signals.

Usage

Slang

Inflected Forms

green lights (plural)

Derived Forms

greenlight

Phrases

get the green light give the green light green lights to Malibu green wave

Frequently Paired Words

🔴 🟡 🟢 green arrow red light stoplight stop light yellow light

Synonyms

go go-ahead

Questions

What does green light mean?: A traffic light in its green state (indicating that vehicles may proceed).
Where does green light come from?: From the standard red-green color scheme used in traffic lights and railway signals.

How to pronounce green light

Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “green light”.
Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling () so you know which sounds to aim for.
Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “green light”.
Repeat and practice — Say “green light” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.