all-clear
all-clear — noun
1. a signal — such as a siren, a flag, or an official announcement — that a dangero
a signal — such as a siren, a flag, or an official announcement — that a dangerous event (an air raid, a storm, a fire, or a military attack) has ended, so people can come out of shelter and return to normal life.
After the bomb squad finished searching the school, the officer sounded the all-clear and the children went back to their classrooms.
collocation: sound the all-clear
Kwame and his family stayed in the basement until the all-clear rang out across the town.
The coastguard broadcast the all-clear on the radio after the tsunami warning was cancelled.
Amara heard the all-clear siren and finally let herself relax.
It was two hours before the fire chief gave the all-clear and the road reopened.
- safe signal
less common; describes the message rather than the conventional phrase
- warning
a warning tells you danger is coming; the all-clear tells you it has ended
文法句型
the all-clear
sound/give/announce the all-clear
用法筆記
Always used with the definite article 'the'. Common verb partners are 'sound', 'give', 'announce', 'broadcast', and 'hear'. The phrase 'the all-clear' is often treated as a single noun referring to both the signal itself and the permission that follows.
常見錯誤
2. official permission to begin or continue with a plan, project, or activity, espe
official permission to begin or continue with a plan, project, or activity, especially after a delay, an inspection, or a set of problems has been satisfactorily resolved.
Vikram received the all-clear from the bank and signed the papers to buy his first flat.
collocation: receive the all-clear from [institution]
Engineers ran final checks on the rocket and gave the all-clear for launch at dawn.
collocation: give the all-clear for [activity]
Ananya waited for the all-clear from her doctor before she started jogging again after the surgery.
The health inspector issued the all-clear, and the restaurant was allowed to reopen on Friday.
Henrik got the all-clear to begin filming inside the national park.
- green light
more informal; 'green light' suggests active encouragement, while 'all-clear' suggests a bar to proceed has been lifted
- go-ahead
similar meaning; slightly more common in British English
- red light
direct opposite — a signal to stop or not proceed
文法句型
give/get/receive the all-clear
the all-clear for [something]
the all-clear to [verb]
用法筆記
In this sense, the all-clear is a metaphorical 'green light' rather than a literal danger signal. The obstacle being removed is typically bureaucratic (a permit, an approval, a test result) rather than physical. Common with 'for + noun phrase' or 'to + infinitive'.