Meaning & use
stoplight
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Meanings
nouncountableAmerican
A set of red, yellow and green lights at a junction that tells drivers when to stop or go.
Grammar: Often used with at or by: wait at the stoplight.
Patterns
- stop at the stoplight
- run a stoplight
- wait at a stoplight
Turn left at the next stoplight.
The car ahead ran the stoplight and nearly hit a cyclist.
We waited at the stoplight for what felt like forever.
nouncountableAmerican
The red light on the back of a vehicle that shines when the driver brakes.
Grammar: Rarer sense, usually in the plural for both brake lights.
Patterns
- a broken stoplight
The mechanic replaced a broken stoplight on my truck.
One stoplight was out, so the officer pulled him over.
Check that both stoplights work before a long trip.
Word forms
| plural | stoplights |
|---|
Common combinations
- run a stoplight
- He got a ticket for running a stoplight.
- stop at the stoplight
- Always stop at the stoplight.
- red stoplight
- We waited at the red stoplight.
- at the stoplight
- The school is just past the stoplight.
- wait for the stoplight
- Pedestrians waited for the stoplight to change.
Synonyms and how they differ
- traffic light
- Traffic light is the standard term in British English and common worldwide, while stoplight sounds more American.
- traffic signal
- Traffic signal is a more technical or official phrase for the same device.
- robot
- Robot is used for traffic lights in South Africa, so it is regional, not general.
Word family
Commonly confused: stoplight or stop sign?
stoplight vs stop sign
A stop sign is a fixed red sign, while a stoplight is a signal that changes colors.
Practice
In American English, the lights at an intersection that change from red to green are called a ____.
Choose one answer.
Stoplight is the American term for a traffic signal. A roundabout and a bypass are road layouts, and a crosswalk is a pedestrian crossing.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “stoplight”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.