red flag

Register · Neutral Neutral — appropriate in most situations, both spoken and written, without sounding too casual or too stiff. CEFR B1

Post

Figurative meaning

a warning sign that something is wrong

Why this phrase?

From racing and signaling: a red flag means stop and pay attention.

Example

“A churn spike right after onboarding is a red flag.”

Dictionary details

Component words

red flag

Tags

warning
risk

Expressions connected by reviewed component words or topic tags.

red herring Neutral · CEFR C1

a misleading clue or distraction that draws attention away from the real issue

red ocean Neutral · CEFR C1

a crowded, hyper-competitive market where rivals fight over existing demand

bad news Informal · CEFR A2

an unpleasant piece of information; (informal) a person or thing likely to cause trouble

can of worms Informal · CEFR B1

a complicated problem that causes trouble the moment it is touched

domino effect Neutral · CEFR B1

a chain reaction in which one event triggers a series of similar events

in broad daylight Neutral · CEFR B1

openly and where people can clearly see it, especially during the daytime

Source methodology

Meanings, register, CEFR, and examples come from the reviewed dictionary record. Expression notes may describe a reviewed present-day word picture or a background note; they are not presented as verified etymology.

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