1. college athletes who are held out of competition for a year to extend their eligibility
Usage: sports
2. expendable characters in fiction, especially science fiction, who are killed off early
Usage: informal; pop culture

1. to hold a college athlete out of competition for a year to preserve eligibility
Usage: sports

Examples

• The coach decided to redshirt several freshmen players this season.
• Many redshirts use their extra year to develop their skills.
• The movie killed off three redshirts in the first ten minutes.
• He was redshirted his freshman year due to injury.
• The redshirts practiced with the team but couldn’t play in games.
• In Star Trek, redshirts rarely survived away missions.
• The university has strict rules about redshirting athletes.