# paint the town red

idiom

Source: https://englishreference.com/idiom/paint-the-town-red
Updated: 2026-08-10

## Meaning

To party or celebrate in a rowdy, wild manner, especially in a public place.

## Examples

- We are going out to paint the town red tonight.
- They always paint the town red on their wedding anniversary.
- You should paint the town red to forget your worries for one night.
- After finishing their final exams, the students decided to paint the town red to celebrate their freedom.
- My cousins are visiting from abroad, so we plan to paint the town red by visiting every club in the city center.
- To celebrate his big promotion, he invited all his colleagues to paint the town red at the new luxury lounge downtown.
- Having worked tirelessly for months, the team finally felt they had earned the right to paint the town red in honor of their successful project launch.

## Origin

US slang. Earliest known use 1884. Various theories include the red from bonfires, the heat from over-stoked paddle-wheel boilers, and town demarcation lines in the Wild West. A British claim attributing it to the actions of the Third Marquess of Waterford predates the first known use by decades.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.