What does ‘give the green light’ mean?
To “give the green light” means to authorise something to proceed. A 20th-century idiom drawn from railway and traffic signals; not in Brewer's 1898.
Origin
- A 20th-century idiom drawn from railway and traffic signals; not in Brewer's 1898.
How to use it
- Very common in business decisions.
- Example: The board finally gave the project the green light.
Source:
Last verified: 2026-07-18
- Definitions and origins are drawn from public-domain reference works, primarily Brewer's Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898), with modern usage notes clearly marked.