flash

[ flash ]

/ flæʃ /

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See synonyms for flash on Thesaurus.com

noun

a brief, sudden burst of bright light: a flash of lightning.

a sudden, brief outburst or display of joy, wit, etc.

a very brief moment; instant: I'll be back in a flash.

Informal. flashlight (def. 1).

superficial, meretricious, or vulgar showiness; ostentatious display.

Journalism. news flash.

Photography.

bright artificial light thrown briefly upon a subject during an exposure.
flash lamp.
flashbulb.
flashtube.

the sudden flame or intense heat produced by a bomb or other explosive device.

a sudden thought, insight, inspiration, or vision.

Slang. rush¹ (def. 24).

Metallurgy.

a ridge of metal left on a casting by a seam between parts of the mold.
a ridge formed at the edge of a forging or weld where excess metal has been squeezed out.

Poker. a hand containing all five suits in a game played with a five-suit pack.

a device, as a lock or sluice, for confining and releasing water to send a boat down a shallow stream.

the rush of water thus produced.

hot flash.

Obsolete. the cant or jargon of thieves, vagabonds, etc.

verb (used without object)

to break forth into sudden flame or light, especially transiently or intermittently: a buoy flashing in the distance.

to gleam.

to burst suddenly into view or perception: The answer flashed into his mind.

to move like a flash.

to speak or behave with sudden anger, outrage, or the like (often followed by out): to flash out at a stupid remark.

to break into sudden action.

Slang. to open one's clothes and expose the genitals suddenly, and usually briefly, in public.

Slang. to experience the intense effects of a narcotic or stimulant drug.

to dash or splash, as the sea or waves.

Archaic. to make a flash or sudden display.

verb (used with object)

to emit or send forth (fire or light) in sudden flashes.

to cause to flash, as powder by ignition or a sword by waving.

to send forth like a flash.

to communicate instantaneously, as by radio or telegraph.

to make an ostentatious display of: He's forever flashing a large roll of bills.

to display suddenly and briefly: She flashed her ID card at the guard.

to change (water) instantly into steam by pouring or directing onto a hot surface.

to increase the flow of water in (a river, channel, etc.).

Glassmaking and Ceramics.

to coat (plain glass or a glass or ceramic object) with a layer of colored, opalescent, or white glass.
to apply (such a layer).
to color or make (glass) opaque by reheating.

Building Trades. to protect from leakage with flashing.

Cards. to expose (a card) in the process of dealing.

Archaic. to dash or splash (water).

adjective

happening suddenly and usually lasting a short time:a flash storm.

very brief, fast, or short: flash freezing of vegetables;flash poetry and fiction.

showy or ostentatious.

caused by or used as protection against flash from an explosive device: flash injuries; flash clothing.

counterfeit or sham.

Computers. relating to or using flash memory: a flash drive.

of or relating to followers of boxing, racing, etc.

Obsolete. belonging to or connected with thieves, vagabonds, etc., or their cant or jargon.

OTHER WORDS FOR flash

1 flare, gleam, glare.

3 twinkling, wink.

18 scintillate.

41 flashy, gaudy, tawdry; pretentious, ostentatious.

43 false, fake.

See synonyms for flash on Thesaurus.com

QUIZ

SHALL WE PLAY A "SHALL" VS. "SHOULD" CHALLENGE?

Should you take this quiz on “shall” versus “should”? It should prove to be a quick challenge!

Question 1 of 6

Which form is used to state an obligation or duty someone has?

shall

should

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Idioms about flash

flash in the pan,

a brief, intense effort that produces no really significant result.
a person who makes such an effort; one who enjoys short-lived success.

flash on, Slang.

to have a sudden thought, insight, or inspiration about.
to have a sudden, vivid memory or mental picture of: I just flashed on that day we spent at the lake.
to feel an instantaneous understanding and appreciation of.

Origin of flash

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English flasshen “to sprinkle, splash,” earlier flask(i)en; probably phonesthemic in origin; compare similar expressive words with fl- and -sh

synonym study for flash

18. Flash, glance, glint, glitter mean to send forth a sudden gleam (or gleams) of bright light. To flash is to send forth light with a sudden, transient brilliancy: A shooting star flashed briefly. To glance is to emit a brilliant flash of light as a reflection from a smooth surface: Sunlight glanced from the glass windshield. Glint suggests a hard bright gleam of reflected light, as from something polished or burnished: Light glints from silver or from burnished copper. To glitter is to reflect intermittent flashes of light from a hard surface: Ice glitters in the moonlight.

OTHER WORDS FROM flash

flash·ing·ly, adverboutflash, verb (used with object)

Words nearby flash

flare path, flares, flare star, flareup, flaring, flash, flashback, flash blindness, flashboard, flashbulb, flashbulb memory

Other definitions for flash (2 of 2)

FLASH

[ flash ]

/ flæʃ /

noun

a precedence code for handling messages about initial enemy contact or operational combat messages of extreme urgency within the U.S. military.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use flash in a sentence

In one 2009 experiment, college students studied vocabulary words with flash cards.
Top 10 tips on how to study smarter, not longer|Kathiann Kowalski|September 9, 2020|Science News For Students
The darkening outlook of banks is laid bare by disclosures on so-called criticized loans, which are flashing warning signals about a borrower’s ability to pay.
A Loan Crisis Looms for Commercial Property|Daniel Malloy|September 8, 2020|Ozy
Plus its flash technology allows upgrades to future software versions so you won’t have to continually invest in new calculators.
The best graphing calculators for students|PopSci Commerce Team|September 4, 2020|Popular-Science
Disrupt 2020 Labor Day flash sale — Starting today, you can save $100 off the price of a Disrupt Digital Pro Pass.
Daily Crunch: Apple delays ad-tracking changes|Anthony Ha|September 3, 2020|TechCrunch

When I briefly regained consciousness, it was to flashing police and ambulance lights and what felt like an entire roll of paper towels pressed on my face.
The Accidental Attempted Murder|Eugene Robinson|September 2, 2020|Ozy
The idea that January 1st initiates a period of new beginning is not a flash of Hallmark brilliance.
New Year’s Eve, Babylon Style|Candida Moss|December 31, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Afterward, you can actually see her young career flash before her eyes as she makes a kind of puffed up blowfish face.
The Curious Little Shell That Restarted Jenny Slate’s Career|Luke Hopping|December 15, 2014|DAILY BEAST
In a flash he deflects the shot, with the speed of instinct, right past the goalkeeper.
Is Soccer Great Lionel Messi Corrupt?|Jack Holmes|December 8, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Cops launched a flash grenade through the window and officer Joseph Weekley fired, fatally striking Stanley-Jones.
Worse Than Eric Garner: Cops Who Got Away With Killing Autistic Men and Little Girls|Emily Shire|December 4, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The grasp on the sabre would tighten; the quiet eyes would flash.
Stonewall Jackson, VMI’s Most Embattled Professor|S. C. Gwynne|November 29, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The vision—it had been an instantaneous flash after all and nothing more—had left his mind completely for the time.
The Wave|Algernon Blackwood
A flash of surprise and pleasure lit the fine eyes of the haughty beauty perched up there on the palace wall.
The Red Year|Louis Tracy
"A camp-fire would hardly flash and die out like that, Sarge," he answered thoughtfully.
Raw Gold|Bertrand W. Sinclair
If those jaspers flash any part of the roll in the Territory before snowfall, I'll get them.
Raw Gold|Bertrand W. Sinclair
He devoured it whole with a kind of visual gulp—a flash; the entire meaning first, then lines, then separate words.
The Wave|Algernon Blackwood

British Dictionary definitions for flash

flash

/ (flæʃ) /

noun

a sudden short blaze of intense light or flamea flash of sunlight

a sudden occurrence or display, esp one suggestive of brilliancea flash of understanding

a very brief space of timeover in a flash

an ostentatious displaya flash of her diamonds

Also called: newsflash a short news announcement concerning a new event

Also called: patch mainly British an insignia or emblem worn on a uniform, vehicle, etc, to identify its military formation

a patch of bright colour on a dark background, such as light marking on an animal

a volatile mixture of inorganic salts used to produce a glaze on bricks or tiles

a sudden rush of water down a river or watercourse
a device, such as a sluice, for producing such a rush

photog informal short for flashlight (def. 2), flash photography

a ridge of thin metal or plastic formed on a moulded object by the extrusion of excess material between dies

Yorkshire and Lancashire dialect a pond, esp one produced as a consequence of subsidence

(modifier) involving, using, or produced by a flash of heat, light, etcflash blindness; flash distillation

flash in the pan a project, person, etc, that enjoys only short-lived success, notoriety, etc

adjective

informal ostentatious or vulgar

informal of or relating to gamblers and followers of boxing and racing

sham or counterfeit

informal relating to or characteristic of the criminal underworld

brief and rapidflash freezing

verb

to burst or cause to burst suddenly or intermittently into flame

to emit or reflect or cause to emit or reflect light suddenly or intermittently

(intr) to move very fasthe flashed by on his bicycle

(intr) to come rapidly (into the mind or vision)

(intr; foll by out or up) to appear like a sudden lighthis anger really flashes out at times

to signal or communicate very fastto flash a message
to signal by use of a light, such as car headlights

(tr) informal to display ostentatiouslyto flash money around

(tr) informal to show suddenly and briefly

(intr) British slang to expose oneself indecently

(tr) to cover (a roof) with flashing

to send a sudden rush of water down (a river, etc), or to carry (a vessel) down by this method

(in the making of glass) to coat (glass) with a thin layer of glass of a different colour

(tr) to subject to a brief pulse of heat or radiation

(tr) to change (a liquid) to a gas by causing it to hit a hot surface

obsolete to splash or dash (water)

Word Origin for flash

C14 (in the sense: to rush, as of water): of unknown origin

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Idioms and Phrases with flash

flash

In addition to the idiom beginning with flash

flash in the pan

also see:

in a flash
quick as a wink (flash)

flash

OTHER WORDS FOR flash

Idioms about flash

Origin of flash

synonym study for flash

OTHER WORDS FROM flash

Words nearby flash

Other definitions for flash (2 of 2)

Words related to flash

How to use flash in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for flash

Word Origin for flash

Other Idioms and Phrases with flash