red-handed
adverb or adjective
red-hand·ed
ˈred-ˈhan-dəd 
: in the act of committing a crime or misdeed
caught red-handed
Examples of red-handed in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
And, last year, a cat was caught red-handed after coming home with the neighbor's chicken dinner in tow.
—
Alice Gibbs, MSNBC Newsweek, 11 July 2025
From left: Oliver the cat stops after being caught red-handed in the kitchen cupboard.
—Alyce Collins, MSNBC Newsweek, 27 June 2025
After he's caught red-handed, the pilot goes to confront him when the captain stabs him before throwing him overboard.
—Esther Kang, People.com, 26 June 2025
The scheme worked and the worker was let go after being caught red-handed in their attempts to shirk responsibilities.
—Matthew Impelli, MSNBC Newsweek, 9 June 2025
Hungry and miserable, she is caught red-handed robbing someone’s apartment, sparking a taste for kleptomania.
—Samantha Bergeson, IndieWire, 6 May 2025
Catching yourself red-handed is the first step to focus on what’s real.
—Mark Travers, Forbes.com, 1 May 2025
With the entire scheme laid out and the staff caught red-handed, the district threatens to suspend any teacher taking bribes.
—Ile-Ife Okantah, Vulture, 19 Mar. 2025
There’s no trophy for stopping an attack, no dramatic movie moment where an attacker is caught red-handed.
—Shahar Man, Forbes, 24 Feb. 2025
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Alice Gibbs, MSNBC Newsweek, 11 July 2025
From left: Oliver the cat stops after being caught red-handed in the kitchen cupboard.
—Alyce Collins, MSNBC Newsweek, 27 June 2025
After he's caught red-handed, the pilot goes to confront him when the captain stabs him before throwing him overboard.
—Esther Kang, People.com, 26 June 2025
The scheme worked and the worker was let go after being caught red-handed in their attempts to shirk responsibilities.
—Matthew Impelli, MSNBC Newsweek, 9 June 2025
Hungry and miserable, she is caught red-handed robbing someone’s apartment, sparking a taste for kleptomania.
—Samantha Bergeson, IndieWire, 6 May 2025
Catching yourself red-handed is the first step to focus on what’s real.
—Mark Travers, Forbes.com, 1 May 2025
With the entire scheme laid out and the staff caught red-handed, the district threatens to suspend any teacher taking bribes.
—Ile-Ife Okantah, Vulture, 19 Mar. 2025
There’s no trophy for stopping an attack, no dramatic movie moment where an attacker is caught red-handed.
—Shahar Man, Forbes, 24 Feb. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Red-handed.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/red-handed. Accessed 20 Jul. 2025.
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