as in red light
something that tells of approaching danger or risk
the résumé she accidentally left on the office printer was a red flag that she was planning to quit
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Recent Examples of red flag
The residents living in wildfire weather population total is derived from a spatial analysis of 2020 US Census data at the tract level and the boundaries of current National Weather Service fire weather watches and red flag alerts.
—
Matt Stiles,
CNN Money,
30 June 2026
By early Monday afternoon, the weather service had issued red flag warnings for imminent fire danger for large swaths of Colorado between Tuesday afternoon and night.
—
Lauren Penington,
Denver Post,
30 June 2026
The experts say that alone is a red flag.
—
Kelsy Mittauer,
CBS News,
29 June 2026
An earlier ethics complaint was dismissed Immigration attorneys say Lozano’s social media was filled with red flags, like claiming the Virgin Mary blessed all her cases.
—
Jack Brook,
Chicago Tribune,
29 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for red flag
Matt Stiles,
CNN Money,
30 June 2026
By early Monday afternoon, the weather service had issued red flag warnings for imminent fire danger for large swaths of Colorado between Tuesday afternoon and night.
—
Lauren Penington,
Denver Post,
30 June 2026
The experts say that alone is a red flag.
—
Kelsy Mittauer,
CBS News,
29 June 2026
An earlier ethics complaint was dismissed Immigration attorneys say Lozano’s social media was filled with red flags, like claiming the Virgin Mary blessed all her cases.
—
Jack Brook,
Chicago Tribune,
29 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for red flag
Recent Examples of Synonyms for red flag
Noun
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Topical hormone treatments like vaginal estrogen, from which the FDA recently removed a warning label, are becoming commonplace.
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This will be elevated to an extreme heat warning by Monday or Tuesday, and cooling centers will be opened.
Noun
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The housing bill, formally called the 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act, can still become law if Trump neither signs it nor vetoes it in 10 days, excluding Sundays.
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There are signs all around Preston Hollow opposing the project.
Cite this Entry
“Red flag.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/red%20flag. Accessed 6 Jul. 2026.
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