red flag
nounDefinition of red flag
1
: a warning signal
2
: something that attracts usually irritated attention
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Synonyms for red flag
Synonyms
caution, red light, tip-off, tocsin, wake-up call, warning
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Examples of red flag in a Sentence
Gaps in your employment history are red flags to employers.
the résumé she accidentally left on the office printer was a red flag that she was planning to quit
Recent Examples on the Web
Every team ahead of the Bengals in the AFC North has red flags; the Bengals are no exception, but their core is underrated and has a higher ceiling than most remember. — Paul Daugherty, Cincinnati.com, "Doc's TML: You're in for a treat, Cincinnati fans. Positive thoughts on Bengals, UC, Reds.," 5 Sep. 2019 First, because all the Blazers red flags this summer sound awfully similar to worries that preceded the past few Portland seasons as well. — Andrew Sharp, SI.com, "Giannis, Jokic and a Guide to the 2020 NBA MVP Odds," 4 Sep. 2019 The red flags being raised are similar to the scrutiny another face-swapping app, FaceApp, dealt with in July. — Alyssa Newcomb, Fortune, "Deepfake App Zao Makes You a Movie Star. But It Also Raises Big Privacy Concerns," 4 Sep. 2019 The activists want the Kentucky senator to pass red flag legislation that would allow people to inform police when a person isn't mentally competent to have a gun, as well as expanded background check laws. — Sarah Ladd, The Courier-Journal, "March For Our Lives holds town hall calling on McConnell to act on gun legislation," 22 Aug. 2019 Beach officials flew the red flag Sunday indicating high surf and a strong current in addition to the purple flag, which warns of dangerous marine life. — Lisa Maria Garza, orlandosentinel.com, "Third person bitten by shark within 24 hours at New Smyrna Beach, officials say," 4 Aug. 2019 In all, Williams used the code to bill United for more than $20.5 million — without apparently triggering any red flags at the insurer. — Marshall Allen, ProPublica, "Health Insurers Make It Easy for Scammers to Steal Millions. Who Pays? You.," 19 July 2019 The pilot claimed his attention was diverted by a helicopter flying over the town’s airspace—a big red flag right there—and focused on maintaining a safe distance. — Kyle Mizokami, Popular Mechanics, "Oops! Swiss Aerial Acrobatics Team Performs for the Wrong Town," 11 July 2019 Connecticut adopted its red flag law in 1999, following a mass shooting at the Connecticut Lottery Corp. headquarters in Newington. — Russell Blair, courant.com, "Capitol Week in Review: Gov. Ned Lamont’s vacation, sales tax free week starts and Sen. Chris Murphy and Donald Trump talk guns," 16 Aug. 2019These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'red flag.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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