Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

greenlight

/ˈɡɹiːnlaɪt/

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: 2.65 in modern English

Syllables: green-light
IPA: /ˈɡɹiːnlaɪt/

15

Scrabble Score

10

Letters

2

Syllables

8

Unique Chars

Meaning

verb

To approve; to permit to proceed.

Informal; Transitive verb

verb

To approve or requisition the harming or death of; to put a hit out on.

Slang; Transitive verb

Example Sentences

"Labour's Shadow Chancellor Anneliese Dodds hit back at Sunak and said that his failure to greenlight major projects such as Northern Powerhouse Rail showed that government claims of levelling up the country were "not supported by the evidence"."
"The United Kingdom (UK) is reportedly waiting for US approval before greenlighting Ukrainian forces to use UK-provided Storm Shadow missiles for long-range strikes against military targets in Russia."

Etymology

From green light.

Usage

Inflected Forms

greenlights (present, singular) greenlighting (participle, present) greenlighted (participle, past) greenlighted (past) greenlit (participle, past) greenlit (past) green-light (alternative)

Derived Forms

greenlighter

Synonyms

allow approve give the go-ahead give the green light permit rubber stamp wave through

Antonyms

redlight

Questions

How do you pronounce greenlight?: The recorded pronunciation is /ˈɡɹiːnlaɪt/.
What does greenlight mean?: To approve; to permit to proceed.
Where does greenlight come from?: From green light.

How to pronounce greenlight

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