flicker
1 Americanverb (used without object)
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to burn unsteadily; shine with a wavering light; blink on and off.
The candle flickered in the draft and went out.
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to move to and fro; vibrate; quiver.
The long grasses flickered in the wind.
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to flutter.
Her eyelids flickered, the only sign she'd been startled.
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to appear or occur briefly.
A smile flickered across his face.
verb (used with object)
noun
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an unsteady flame or light.
A dim flicker of lamplight was all that illuminated the room.
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a flickering movement.
The flicker of the snake's tongue was hypnotizing.
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a brief occurrence or appearance.
The thought of reinforcements gave them a flicker of hope.
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Slang. Often flickers flick.
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Ophthalmology. the visual sensation of flickering that occurs when the interval between intermittent flashes of light is too long to permit fusion.
noun
verb
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(intr) to shine with an unsteady or intermittent light
a candle flickers
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(intr) to move quickly to and fro; quiver, flutter, or vibrate
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(tr) to cause to flicker
noun
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an unsteady or brief light or flame
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a swift quivering or fluttering movement
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a visual sensation, often seen in a television image, produced by periodic fluctuations in the brightness of light at a frequency below that covered by the persistence of vision
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(plural) a US word for flick 2
noun
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Conjugated Forms
Present
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have flickeredperfect
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has flickeredperfect 3rd person singular
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are flickeringprogressive
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is flickeringprogressive 3rd person singular
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has been flickeringperfect progressive 3rd person singular
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am flickeringprogressive 1st person singular
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have been flickeringperfect progressive
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flickeringparticiple
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flickerssingular 3rd person
Past
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had flickeredperfect
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had been flickeringperfect progressive
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was flickeringprogressive singular
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flickeredparticiple
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were flickeringprogressive plural
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flickeredsimple
Future
Etymology
Origin of flicker1
First recorded before 1000; Middle English verb flikeren, flekeren, Old English flicerian, flicorian “to flutter”; cognate with Dutch flikkeren
Origin of flicker2
An Americanism dating back to 1800–10; said to be imitative of the bird's note
Explanation
To flicker is to flash on and off at random. If your computer screen is flickering right now, you are probably having trouble reading this. Something that is flickering is flashing on and off in an unpredictable way. A fluorescent light may flicker for a while before it stops working. A flicker is also a quick flash or burst of light, like a glint or a spark. Similarly, flicker can refer to a sudden and short-lived feeling. A child opening a present might have a flicker of excitement before realizing that the box contains only tube socks and underwear.
Vocabulary lists containing flicker
Unit 4: Powerful Openings
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"The Song of Wandering Aengus" by W.B. Yeats
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"The Song of Wandering Aengus" and "Sonnet 43," Vocabulary from the poems
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
He went to the toilet, which is when he saw a flicker of orange through the frosted glass of the window.
From BBC • Jun. 9, 2026
Stopping out of concern, they realize this is no normal accident, seeing the eerie man in the distance who disappears in the flicker of their hazard lights.
From Los Angeles Times • May 22, 2026
As it steadily gains steam from its spare opening bars, the number has tornado sirens harmonizing while lives flicker and disappear like sparks flying off a firecracker’s fuse.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 12, 2026
"As the visible light began to flicker and dim, the infrared light spiked. Which could mean that the material blocking the star is hot -- so hot that it's glowing in the infrared."
From Science Daily • Mar. 11, 2026
They looked at each other, and a flicker of something sharp and warm passed between them.
From "Impossible Creatures" by Katherine Rundell
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
