Meaning & use
blue lights
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Meanings
nounpluralBritish
Flashing blue lights on an emergency vehicle, signaling that it is on an urgent call.
Grammar: Usually plural, with the: the blue lights flashed.
Patterns
- with blue lights flashing
- on blue lights
The ambulance sped past with its blue lights flashing.
We saw blue lights in the mirror and pulled over.
The police car rushed through traffic on blue lights.
nounpluralinformal
Blue-toned light given off by screens and digital devices, which some people avoid before sleep.
Grammar: Often 'blue light' singular in this sense: blue lights from screens can affect sleep.
Patterns
- blue lights from something
Doctors say blue lights from phones can delay sleep.
She wore glasses that filter blue lights from the monitor.
The blue lights of the screen lit the dark room.
Common combinations
- flashing blue lights
- Flashing blue lights filled the street.
- blue lights and sirens
- Blue lights and sirens echoed through the town.
- blue lights on the road
- Blue lights on the road meant an accident ahead.
- blue light filter
- He turned on the blue light filter at night.
- blue light special
- A blue light special drew shoppers to the display.
Synonyms and how they differ
- flashers
- Flashers is a general word for flashing vehicle lights and is not limited to blue or emergency use.
- emergency lights
- Emergency lights covers all colors of urgent vehicle signals, while blue lights are the British police and ambulance signal.
- beacons
- Beacons are rotating warning lights, often amber on roadwork vehicles, rather than blue.
Word family
- blue light noun
- the singular form, for one light or the colour of light
- blue-light adjective
- relating to emergency services, as in blue-light services
- bluish adjective
- somewhat blue
Commonly confused: blue lights or red lights?
blue lights vs red lights
Red lights are traffic signals telling drivers to stop, not emergency signals; blue lights are on police, ambulance and similar vehicles in Britain.
Practice
We heard sirens and saw ____ coming up the road, so we moved onto the pavement.
Choose one answer.
Blue lights signal an emergency vehicle in Britain. Street lights and brake lights are not emergency signals, and green lights mean go.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “blue lights”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.