1. an international philanthropic organization (Red Cross Society) , formed in consequence of the Geneva Convention of 1864, to care for the sick and wounded in war, secure neutrality of nurses, hospitals, etc., and help relieve suffering caused by pestilence, floods, fires, and other calamities.
2. a branch of this organization: the American Red Cross.
3. the English national emblem of St. George's cross.
4. See Geneva cross .
Also, red cross (for defs. 3, 4).