flicker
1 Americanverb (used without object)
-
flickers,
present (3rd person singular)
-
flickered,
past participle, past
-
flickering
present participle
-
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)
-
flickers,
present (3rd person singular)
-
flickered,
past participle, past
-
flickering
present participle
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
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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flickersimple
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flickerssimple
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have flickeredperfect
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has flickeredperfect
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am flickeringprogressive
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are flickeringprogressive
-
is flickeringprogressive
-
have been flickeringperfect progressive
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has been flickeringperfect progressive
Past
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flickeredsimple
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had flickeredperfect
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was flickeringprogressive
-
were flickeringprogressive
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had been flickeringperfect progressive
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.
See Examples For:
The LCD screens outside the Denver Nuggets basketball arena continue to flicker, although weeds and wolves have overrun the fast-food joints in a bit of postapocalyptic product placement.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 28, 2026
Their pages don’t flicker with pop-up ads or interrupt one book to tell you about others you might want to read.
From Salon ● Jul. 23, 2026
Upstairs, children pore over schoolbooks, mothers prepare lunch and television sets flicker in cramped living rooms, all against the constant background noise of shredders whining and baling presses pounding below.
From Barron's ● Jul. 18, 2026
"None of this is beer-proof let alone waterproof," says Prof Damian Bailey, with only the briefest flicker of somebody regretting their life choices.
From BBC ● Jun. 22, 2026
A flicker of appreciation ignited across my chest, yet oddly the spark fizzled out.
From "Sir Fig Newton and the Science of Persistence" by Sonja Thomas
Israel’s battered tourism industry is showing rare flickers of life this summer.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 14, 2026
On the corner of another table, the flame from a candle flickers.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 25, 2026
"No matter how difficult times are, I believe that humans always manage to find flickers of levity and deep wells of love," she said.
From BBC ● May 19, 2026
Inside an underground shelter at a hospital in the Israeli city of Haifa, a television screen flickers with images of Iranian missiles as doctors and midwives deliver Sarah Bird's third child.
From Barron's ● Apr. 10, 2026
She tried to get it back, but now it only stayed on in flickers.
From "Shelter (Book One): A Mickey Bolitar Novel" by Harlan Coben
The neon kangaroo flickered, releasing a rhythmic, neon buzz.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 16, 2026
They flickered occasionally over McCullum's next three years in charge, but nothing like that heady first year.
From BBC ● Jul. 12, 2026
In one recording of a WhatsApp video call seen by AFP, the scammer, appearing lifelike as the prince, flickered on the screen.
From Barron's ● Jul. 3, 2026
Families, in their various flavors, have been essential to television since that light first flickered on.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 15, 2026
The flame flickered and went out; and the creature thumped to the ground with a howl of rage and pain.
From "Impossible Creatures" by Katherine Rundell
Thankfully, there are often other cues as to the whereabouts of your fleshy foes, such as flickering lights and their awful, gurgling cries.
From BBC ● Sep. 25, 2026
Inside, under flickering lights, a group of reluctant strangers is coaxed into acting out, in a converted gymnasium, a wild tale promising redemption from agonizing tragedy.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 5, 2026
He saw Bori’s flickering silhouette gripping the bars.
From Slate ● Aug. 11, 2026
The young couple in those linked stories are always accompanied by the flickering presence of their social-media apps, which seem to guide their behavior and lead them unthinkingly toward a breakup.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 10, 2026
In the eerie glow of their magic weapons, his friends looked like flickering ghosts.
From "The House of Hades" by Rick Riordan
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