red ensign

noun

The flag flown by a British merchant ship.

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Meanings

nounred ensign (plural red ensigns)

plural red ensigns

  1. The flag flown by a British merchant ship.

    Both Worthing and Brighton sail under the red ensign and are excellent testimonials to their British builders, William Denny & Brothers, from whose yard so many notable cross-channel and shallow-draught vessels have come.

    1939 June, G. W. Tripp, “The Modern Railway Steamer”, in Railway Magazine, page 392
  2. CanadahistoricalSuch a flag bearing the coat of arms of Canada, formerly used as a semi-official national flag of Canada.
Cite this entry
APA

red ensign. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/red%20ensign

MLA

“red ensign.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/red%20ensign. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “red ensign,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/red%20ensign.

Source: red ensign on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.