green light
Approval, or permission to proceed.
Meaning adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
“The boss gave us the green light to start the project.”
“After reviewing our budget proposal, the director finally gave us the green light to hire more staff.”
“Once the committee granted the green light for the construction project, the architects immediately began finalizing the blueprints for the new library.”
From the standard red-green colour scheme established for railway signals and later adopted for traffic lights. The association of the colour green with the permission to proceed provided the basis for the figurative expression.
- 01
amber light
Hesitance to proceed; limited approval or permission to proceed.
- 02
bright lights
The glamour and glitz of a place, especially a big city.
- 03
bring to light
To expose, disclose or reveal something that was hidden or unknown.
- 04
Chinese green
Synonym of lokao.
- 05
come to light
To become known; to be revealed.
- 06
false light
A point of view resulting in a misleading or inaccurate representation of a person, situation, or fact.
- 07
give a light
To care.
- 08
go green
To implement certain lifestyle changes designed to help one live in a more ecologically friendly way.
Last updated August 10, 2026