Meanings
plural green lights
- A traffic light in its green state (indicating that vehicles may proceed).
The drive home was much faster than usual; somehow we managed to hit every green light.
- idiomaticApproval, or permission to proceed.
We have a green light on the project. Work starts today.
1 more example
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.
2020 May 20, “Network News: Class 345s finally able to serve Heathrow Airport”, in Rail, page 15Synonyms: go
Synonyms & antonyms
nounApproval, or permission to proceed.
More synonyms by meaning
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
From the standard red-green color scheme used in traffic lights and railway signals.
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Arabic ضَوْء أَخْضَر, ضَوْء أَخْضَر
- ضَوْء أَخْضَر (ḍawʔ ʔaḵḍar)green traffic light
- ضَوْء أَخْضَر (ḍawʔ ʔaḵḍar)permission
Bengali সবুজ আলো, সবুজ আলো
- সবুজ আলো (śobuj alō)green traffic light
- সবুজ আলো (śobuj alō)permission
Bulgarian зеле́на светлина́, зеле́на светлина́
- зеле́на светлина́ (zeléna svetliná)green traffic light
- зеле́на светлина́ (zeléna svetliná)permission
Catalan llum verd, llum verd
- llum verdgreen traffic light
- llum verdpermission
Chinese Cantonese 綠燈 /绿灯
- 綠燈 /绿灯green traffic light
Chinese Mandarin 綠燈 /绿灯, 開綠燈 /开绿灯
- 綠燈 /绿灯 (lǜdēng)green traffic light
- 開綠燈 /开绿灯 (kāi lǜdēng)permission
Czech zelená, zelené světlo
- zelenágreen traffic light
- zelené světlogreen traffic light
- zelenápermission
- zelené světlopermission
Dutch groen licht, het OK krijgen
- groen lichtgreen traffic light
- het OK krijgenpermission
- groen lichtpermission
Finnish vihreä valo, vihreä valo
- vihreä valogreen traffic light
- vihreä valopermission
French feu vert, feu vert
- feu vertgreen traffic light
- feu vertpermission
German grünes Licht, Grünlicht
- grünes Lichtgreen traffic light
- Grünlichtgreen traffic light
- grünes Lichtpermission
Greek πράσινο
- πράσινο (prásino)green traffic light
Hungarian zöld fény, szabad jelzés
- zöld fénygreen traffic light
- szabad jelzésgreen traffic light
- zöld útpermission
- zöld fénypermission
Indonesian lampu hijau, lampu hijau
- lampu hijaugreen traffic light
- lampu hijaupermission
Irish solas glas
- solas glasgreen traffic light
Italian semaforo verde, nulla osta
- semaforo verdegreen traffic light
- nulla ostapermission
Japanese 青信号
- 青信号 (aoshingō)green traffic light
Korean 녹색신호, 초록불
- 녹색신호 (noksaeksinho)green traffic light
- 초록불 (chorokbul)green traffic light
Norwegian Bokmål grønt lys
- grønt lysgreen traffic light
Polish zielone światło, zielone światło
- zielone światłogreen traffic light
- zielone światłopermission
Portuguese sinal verde, sinal verde
- sinal verdegreen traffic light
- sinal verdepermission
Romanian semafor verde
- semafor verdegreen traffic light
Russian зелёный свет, зелёный свет
- зелёный свет (zeljónyj svet)green traffic light
- зелёный свет (zeljónyj svet)permission
- добро́ (dobró)permission
Slovak zelené svetlo, zelené svetlo
- zelené svetlogreen traffic light
- zelené svetlopermission
Spanish luz verde, luz verde
- luz verdegreen traffic light
- luz verdepermission
- visto buenopermission
- autorizaciónpermission
- aprobaciónpermission
- veniapermission
- permisopermission
- beneplácitopermission
- plácetpermission
- exequáturpermission
Swahili mwanga wa kijani
- mwanga wa kijanigreen traffic light
Swedish grönt ljus, grönt ljus
- grönt ljusgreen traffic light
- grönt ljuspermission
- klarteckenpermission
Tamil பச்சைவிளக்கு
- பச்சைவிளக்கு (paccaiviḷakku)green traffic light
Thai ไฟเขียว
- ไฟเขียว (fai-kǐao)green traffic light
Turkish yeşil ışık, yeşil ışık
- yeşil ışıkgreen traffic light
- yeşil ışıkpermission
Ukrainian зеле́не сві́тло, зеле́не сві́тло
- зеле́не сві́тло (zeléne svítlo)green traffic light
- зеле́не сві́тло (zeléne svítlo)permission
Vietnamese đèn xanh
- đèn xanhgreen traffic light
Cite this entry
green light. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/green%20light
“green light.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/green%20light. Accessed November 4, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “green light,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/green%20light.
Source: green light on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.