What does "red-eye" mean?
Any of various animals that have red eyes.; The common rudd (Scardinius erythrophthalmus), a freshwater fish.
Red-eye
/ˈɹɛdaɪ/ noun, verb, slang
noun, verb, slang ·Moderate ·High school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: Any of various animals that have red eyes.; The common rudd (Scardinius erythrophthalmus), a freshwater fish.
- Grammar: red-eye is listed as noun, verb, slang.
- Nearest alternatives: redeye.
- Usage evidence: I have no choice but to take the red-eye back to New York.
How to use "red-eye"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "red-eye" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "red-eye" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "red-eye" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "red-eye" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "red-eye" is acting as noun, verb, slang in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "redeye" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "red-eye", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 Any of various animals that have red eyes.; The common rudd (Scardinius erythrophthalmus), a freshwater fish. countable, uncountable
"The fish of Lough Neath, in Ireland, called a Roach, is in reality the Rudd, or Red-eye, Cyprinus erythrophthalamus of authors, to be hereafter described—a fish belonging to the second division of the genus Leuciscus of Klein, which has the dorsal fin over the space between the ventral and anal fins: [...]"
- 2 Any of various animals that have red eyes.; Any of various grass-skippers or hesperiid butterflies of the genus Matapa. countable, uncountable
"The Common Redeye (Matapa aria Moore) is much smaller (wingspan: 40–55 mm), plain brown without any markings, but as in the Giant Redeye its eyes are red."
- 3 Any of various animals that have red eyes.; The red-eyed treefrog (Agalychnis callidryas), which is native to neotropical rainforests. countable, uncountable
"Red-eyes have large and well-developed toepads and are adept at both leaping and walking through their elevated homes."
- 4 Any of various animals that have red eyes.; A species of cicada, Psaltoda moerens, native to eastern Australia. Australia, countable, uncountable
"The red eye, Psaltoda moerens, is sometimes common around Sydney where its favoured host, Angophora costata, grows. In some years populations can be immense with many thousands inhabiting just a few trees."
- 5 Any of various animals that have red eyes.; The red-eyed vireo (Vireo olivaceus), a small American songbird. Canada, US, countable, uncountable
"The red-eye (Vireo olivaceus), [...] The first (the red-eye) is one of the most abundant birds in the woods of the northern states. In the spring months, he is one of the most conspicuous of our singers, and, though his notes are short, they are very musical and lively."
Show 11 more definitions
- 6 Any of various animals that have red eyes.; Any of various round herrings of the genus Etrumeus. South-Africa, US, countable, uncountable
"The egg of the round herring or red-eye Etrumeus whiteheadi (E. micropus, E. teres) is smooth, spherical (diameter around 1·4 mm) with a narrow perivitelline space and has a large lightly segmented yolk and no oil globule [...]."
- 7 Any of various animals that have red eyes.; Either of two subspecies of the copperhead (Agkistrodon contortrix), a venomous pit viper native to the United States: either the broad-banded copperhead or Texas copperhead (Agkistrodon contortrix laticinctus), or the highland moccasin or northern copperhead (Agkistrodon contortrix mokasen). US, countable, uncountable
"Agkistrodon contortrix Linnaeus.—Cotton-mouth, Highland Moccasin, Rattlesnake Pilot, Red-eye."
- 8 Any of various animals that have red eyes.; Any of various sunfishes of the family Centrarchidae, especially the redeye bass (Micropterus coosae) or the rock bass (Ambloplites rupestris). US, countable, uncountable
"Redeyes inhabit clear-water streams with an abundance of shoals and are usually confined to headwater sections."
- 9 Any of various animals that have red eyes.; The redeye tetra (Moenkhausia sanctaefilomenae), a freshwater fish, commonly kept in aquariums, native to South America. countable, uncountable
"My roommate has a 30 gallon long tank that is currently stocked with 6 neons and about 30 red-eyes. The neons are large (as neons go) and the red-eyes are almost an inch and a quarter."
- 10 Types of beverages or sauces.; A drink made by adding a shot of espresso to a cup of coffee. countable, uncountable
""A red-eye, please," I said to the young woman. I waited to see whether she would recognize the drink or whether I would have to explain that it was a cup of coffee with a shot of espresso. [...] She made my drink, then his, but kept her eyes on him even as she handed me my red-eye."
- 11 Types of beverages or sauces.; A drink consisting of beer with tomato juice. Canada, countable, regional, uncountable
- 12 Types of beverages or sauces.; A strong but poor-quality whiskey. US, countable, slang, uncountable
"Near-synonym: rotgut"
- 13 Types of beverages or sauces.; Ellipsis of red-eye gravy. abbreviation, alt-of, countable, ellipsis, uncountable
"Patron : Well, let me have some big gravy for the biscuits and throw a little red eye on the grits. Waitress : Coffee? Patron : Yeah, black, please."
- 14 An overnight airplane flight or train trip. US, also, attributive, colloquial, countable
"I waited too late to book my holiday flight, so I had to take the red-eye."
- 15 Redness of the conjunctiva; especially when caused by conjunctivitis (pink-eye). countable, uncountable
"Most eye disorders tend to present as ‘red eye’. It is the single most common ophthalmic complaint encountered by general practitioners."
- 16 Redness in the eye(s) of someone in a colour photograph, as an unwanted consequence of light from a flash reflecting off blood vessels in the retina. countable, uncountable
"Use red-eye reduction when photographing people. It won't eliminate red-eye in every photo, but it's worth trying. When the D60 attempts to reduce red-eye it lights up the autofocus assist lamp on the front of the camera for about one second before taking the picture."
Verb
- 1 Often followed by it: to travel on a red-eye (“an overnight airplane flight”). colloquial, intransitive
"I flew in this morning, red-eying it in last night after hearing of this hearing, because what you are doing here is something that I am particularly interested in."
- 2 travel on an overnight flight wordnet
Synonyms
All synonymsExample
"I have no choice but to take the red-eye back to New York."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "red-eye"?
Common synonyms include: redeye.
How do you use "red-eye" in a sentence?
I have no choice but to take the red-eye back to New York.
How do you pronounce "red-eye"?
Pronounced /ˈɹɛdaɪ/.
Etymology
The noun is derived from red + eye; sense 2.3 (“strong but poor-quality whiskey”) and sense 3 (“overnight airplane flight”) are probably so named because they may cause people to develop bloodshot eyes. The verb is derived from the noun.