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Glite Dictionary
no-go area

no-go area

1 7.5
A place people are afraid to enter or are not allowed to enter because it is dangerous
  • noun
  • /noʊ ɡoʊ ˈɛəriə/
  • Literature
: zona prohibida
  • Today, the northern half of Mali is now a virtual no-go area for journalists and humanitarian workers.
  • become a no-go area

The police were terrified to come in and it became a no go area, you understand, Became a no go area.

Examples

  • Hebron, Jenin, Nablus, and other cities that were once no-go areas are now safe and bustling at all hours.

    Academic text (2011)

  • There are several well-known no-go areas around here, and every so often, another street is absorbed into them.

    Blog text (21)

  • Now, this is a no-go area.

    Rollin' with the Nines (2006)

  • The King's Road, she had discovered, was a real no-go area.

    Fiction book (1995)

  • There is little neighborly contact, and more and more public spaces have become no-go areas.

    Academic text (1998)

  • Right now, Jonathan was edging his way down a black corridor, one of the school's no-go areas.

    Fiction book (2000)

  • The northern half of Mali is now a virtual no-go area for journalists and humanitarian workers due to ongoing conflict.

  • Timbuktu and Northern Mali remain a no-go area because of the dangerous conditions for travelers.

  • There are several well-known no-go areas around the city where police advise against entering after dark.

Synonyms

danger zone
vsno-go area
15 3.8

An area or situation where people are likely to be hurt

is often legally prohibited or declared off limits rather than only risky
demilitarized zone
vsno-go area
  • Formal
11 4.8

An area where armies and weapons cannot go between two countries

is forbidden to all people by danger or law rather than only to forces
black zone
vsno-go area
1 7.9

An area that is dangerous because many crimes happen there

is often legally or officially banned from entry rather than only risky
no-no spot
vsno-go area
  • Informal
9.6

A place where something is not allowed

is a legal or danger based ban on entering rather than an informal rule

Antonyms

accessible
160 3.9

A place, thing, or service that you can reach and use easily

How Dangerous

black zone
1 7.9
no-go area
  • Literature
1 7.5
danger zone
15 3.8
hazard
174 3.4

Surface Forms

no-go area singular
no-go areas plural

Morphology

no-go + area

The meaning of 'no-go area' is directly built from 'no-go' (not suitable or allowed to proceed/enter) plus 'area' (a region), so a learner who knows both constituents can readily infer it denotes a place one should not go or that is off-limits/dangerous. This negation+noun compositional pattern is common across languages and follows standard English word-formation, making it transparently understandable at B1.

Etymology

No-go area comes from the image of a sign at an entrance that says no go, telling people not to enter. That's why it means a place that is 'too dangerous' or 'forbidden' to go into.