Definition of "redshirt" in English

noun

1. (now historical) A supporter of the Italian nationalist leader Giuseppe Garibaldi, especially a member of his thousand-man army which conquered Sicily.

2. (now chiefly historical) A revolutionary or anarchist.

3. (US, sports) A college athlete who spends a year not participating in official athletic activities, but does not lose his or her eligibility to participate in following years.

4. (fiction, science fiction, fandom slang) An unimportant character introduced only to be killed in order to underscore the peril to the important characters; an expendable character.

   • Sensing danger, Captain Kirk decided to beam down to the surface with Spock, McCoy, and a couple of redshirts.

5. (US, military) A person responsible for loading and unloading weapons, artillery, and equipment from aircraft.

6. Alternative form of Red Shirt (“member of the UDD”).

verb

1. (US, collegiate sports) To place an athlete in a status wherein the athlete will spend a year not participating in official athletic activities, but will not lose his or her eligibility to participate in following years.

   • The university decided to redshirt the freshman linebacker to give him an extra year to build up his bulk.

2. (US, collegiate sports) To take on a status wherein one will spend a year not participating in official athletic activities.

3. (US) To hold a child out of kindergarten for one year in the hope that the child will do better academically and socially.

   • 1985, March 1, "Some Educators Oppose Redshirting 5-Year-Olds," The Omaha World-Herald Parents who redshirt their 5-year-olds instead of enrolling them in kindergarten are a concern to some Nebraska educators who are trying to reverse the trend of holding children back until age 6 to start school.