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yellow light

yellow light

6 1.8
A traffic signal that warns drivers to slow down and prepare to stop
  • noun
  • /ˈjɛloʊ laɪt/
  • US
translation icon : luz amarilla
  • ZAVITZ runs into the street as a BUS speeds through a yellow light.
  • flashing yellow light
  • blinking yellow light
  • stop at a yellow light

Yeah, couple of yield bunnies, 'cause that yellow light, you got to yield on that yellow.

Examples

  • When we got to this one intersection, he went through a yellow light.

    Fiction book (2000)
  • You know, a yellow light means, you know, to proceed with caution.

  • "Just get me out of here!" Judd sped through a yellow light.

    Fiction book (2000)
  • Today, I feel a certain terror of heavy traffic and yellow lights—all things unaccountable by science.

    Fiction book (1997)
  • When the traffic signal changes to yellow light, drivers should prepare to stop if it's safe to do so.

  • The yellow light at the intersection indicated that cars should slow down and be cautious.

  • As I approached the yellow light, I knew I needed to decide whether to speed up or slow down.

Synonyms

amber light
vsyellow light
  • UK
1 3.2

A yellow traffic signal that tells drivers to stop or go with caution

is the same signal but named differently in common usage

Antonyms

64 1.0

A red traffic light that tells cars and people to stop

46 2.3

A signal that lets you start or continue something, for example a traffic light

How Permissive

green light
46 2.3
yellow light
  • US
6 1.8
red light
64 1.0
no-go area
  • Literature
1 7.5

Surface Forms

yellow light singular
yellow lights plural

Morphology

yellow + light

The meaning 'a traffic signal that warns drivers to proceed with caution' is directly and transparently derived from combining 'yellow' (a color) and 'light' (a signalling device): it denotes a light that is yellow in colour and functions as a warning. This composition is conventional in traffic contexts and common across languages, so a B1 learner who knows the two constituents and basic traffic rules will reliably infer the intended meaning.

Etymology

Yellow light comes from traffic lights: the yellow part sits between green and red and warns drivers to slow down or prepare to stop. That's why yellow light now means 'a warning to proceed with caution'.