redline

/ˌrɛdˈlaɪn/

Other forms: redlining; redlined; redlines

To redline is to deny someone a loan based on where they live. This discriminatory practice is based on identifying neighborhoods with many residents who are poor, Black, or members of other ethnic minorities.

It was once common for banks to redline, based on the bigoted belief that nonwhite people were less likely to repay loans. Other kinds of redlining include denying people insurance, healthcare, voting access, and fresh food because of their address. Prior to the 1960s, to redline was to "mark in red ink." The term's current definition came from the practice of marking areas on a map to delineate the neighborhoods in which non-white people and other ethnic minorities lived.

Definitions of redline

1. verb

   discriminate in selling or renting housing in certain areas of a neighborhood
   type of:

   discriminate, separate, single out

   treat differently on the basis of sex or race