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• flash
  flash

  noun

  a brief, sudden burst of bright light.
• FLASH
  FLASH

  noun

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

flash

¹ American  

[flash] / flæʃ /

noun

• flashes
  plural

1. a brief, sudden burst of bright light.

   The sky lit up with a flash of lightning.

   Synonyms:

   glare, gleam, flare

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

   Her brilliant eye for detail and quiet flashes of humor make the book a joy to read.

3. a very brief moment; instant.

   I'll be back in a flash.

   Synonyms:

   wink, twinkling

4. Informal. flashlight.

5. Journalism. news flash.

6. Photography.

   1. bright artificial light thrown briefly upon a subject during an exposure.

   2. flash lamp.

   3. flashbulb.

   4. electronic flash.

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

8. a sudden thought, insight, inspiration, or vision.

   I smelled the sea breeze and had a flash of my childhood summers at the beach.

9. a showy or ostentatious display.

10. Slang. rush.

11. Metallurgy.

    1. a ridge of metal left on a casting by a seam between parts of the mold.

    2. a ridge formed at the edge of a forging or weld where excess metal has been squeezed out.

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

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

    2. the rush of water thus produced.

14. hot flash.

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

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verb (used without object)

• flashes,
  present (3rd person singular)
• flashed,
  past participle,  past
• flashing
  present participle

1. to break forth into sudden flame or light, especially transiently or intermittently.

   We saw a buoy flashing in the distance.

2. to gleam.

   The car's chrome bumpers flashed in the sun.

   Synonyms:

   scintillate

3. to burst suddenly into view or perception.

   The answer flashed into his mind.

4. to move very suddenly and quickly.

5. to speak or behave with sudden anger, outrage, or the like (often followed byout ).

   to flash out at a stupid remark.

6. to break into sudden action.

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

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

9. to dash or splash, as the sea or waves.

10. Archaic. to make a flash or sudden display.

verb (used with object)

• flashes,
  present (3rd person singular)
• flashed,
  past participle,  past
• flashing
  present participle

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

2. to cause to emit or reflect light.

   There was a driver tailgating them who kept flashing his high beams and honking his horn.

   A beekeeper I knew used to flash a mirror at his hive to help settle them.

3. to communicate instantly.

   The airline flashed the updated flight time on the overhead display.

4. to make an ostentatious display of.

   He's forever flashing a large roll of bills.

5. to display suddenly and briefly.

   She flashed her ID card at the guard.

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

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

8. Glassmaking and Ceramics.

   1. to coat (plain glass or a glass or ceramic object) with a layer of colored, opalescent, or white glass.

   2. to apply (such a layer).

   3. to color or make (glass) opaque by reheating.

9. Building Trades. to protect from leakage with flashing.

10. Computers.

    1. to write a program, file, etc. to the part of (a device's) memory that is reprogrammable and retains information even with the power turned off.

       If you're still having problems, you can flash the router.

    2. to write (a program, file, etc.) to the part of a device's memory that is reprogrammable and retains information even with the power turned off.

       I flashed the device's firmware using the latest version available.

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

12. Archaic. to dash or splash (water).

adjective

1. happening suddenly and usually lasting a short time.

   a flash storm.

2. very brief, fast, or short: flash poetry and fiction.

   flash freezing of vegetables;

   flash poetry and fiction.

3. Computers. relating to or using a type of reprogrammable memory that retains information even with the power turned off.

   a flash drive.

4. showy or ostentatious.

   Synonyms:

   ostentatious, pretentious, tawdry, gaudy, flashy

5. caused by or used as protection against flash from an explosive device.

   flash injuries; flash clothing.

6. counterfeit or sham.

   Synonyms:

   fake, false

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

idioms

1. flash on,

   1. to have a sudden thought, insight, or inspiration about.

   2. to have a sudden, vivid memory or mental picture of.

      I just flashed on that day we spent at the lake.

   3. to feel an instantaneous understanding and appreciation of.

2. flash in the pan,

   1. a brief, intense effort that produces no significant result.

   2. a person or thing that enjoys short-lived success.

FLASH ² American  

[flash] / flæʃ /

noun

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

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flash British  

/ flæʃ /

noun

1. a sudden short blaze of intense light or flame

   a flash of sunlight

2. a sudden occurrence or display, esp one suggestive of brilliance

   a flash of understanding

3. a very brief space of time

   over in a flash

4. an ostentatious display

   a flash of her diamonds

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

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

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

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

9. 1. a sudden rush of water down a river or watercourse

   2. a device, such as a sluice, for producing such a rush

10. informal photog short for flashlight flash photography

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

12. dialect a pond, esp one produced as a consequence of subsidence

13. (modifier) involving, using, or produced by a flash of heat, light, etc

    flash blindness

    flash distillation

14. a project, person, etc, that enjoys only short-lived success, notoriety, etc

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adjective

1. informal ostentatious or vulgar

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

3. sham or counterfeit

4. informal relating to or characteristic of the criminal underworld

5. brief and rapid

   flash freezing

verb

1. to burst or cause to burst suddenly or intermittently into flame

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

3. (intr) to move very fast

   he flashed by on his bicycle

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

5. (intr; foll by out or up) to appear like a sudden light

   his anger really flashes out at times

6. 1. to signal or communicate very fast

      to flash a message

   2. to signal by use of a light, such as car headlights

7. informal (tr) to display ostentatiously

   to flash money around

8. informal (tr) to show suddenly and briefly

9. slang (intr) to expose oneself indecently

10. (tr) to cover (a roof) with flashing

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

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

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

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

15. obsolete to splash or dash (water)

flash More Idioms  

More idioms and phrases containing flash

• in a flash
• quick as a wink (flash)

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Synonym Usage

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 Word Forms

Derived Forms

• outflash
  verb (used with object)
• flashingly
  adverb

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• flashes
  plural

Participles

• flashing
  present
• flashed
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• flash
  simple
• flashes
  simple
• have flashed
  perfect
• has flashed
  perfect
• am flashing
  progressive
• are flashing
  progressive
• is flashing
  progressive
• have been flashing
  perfect progressive
• has been flashing
  perfect progressive

Past

• flashed
  simple
• had flashed
  perfect
• was flashing
  progressive
• were flashing
  progressive
• had been flashing
  perfect progressive

Future

• will flash
  simple
• will have flashed
  perfect
• will be flashing
  progressive
• will have been flashing
  perfect progressive

Etymology

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

Explanation

Ever notice how quick the flash is on a camera? That's how fast other types of flashes are, including the super-fast superhero The Flash. Whether you're talking about a flash of lighting or a flash of insight, a flash is quick and bright and sudden. There aren't any slow, long flashes. Because flashes are so fast, the word is often used for anything that happens really quickly: a flash is as fast as a New York minute, the blink of an eye, a heartbeat, an instant, a jiffy, or a split second.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

flash FLASH flashes flashed flashing

The deadly flash flood in Nepal on Wednesday likely was caused by a huge chunk of a glacier that broke off and temporarily dammed a river, according to preliminary investigations by scientists.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 27, 2026

The disruption had coincided with a "period of severe weather" in the area that had resulted in flash flooding, they added.

From BBC ● Aug. 27, 2026

Catastrophic flash floods along the Nepal-China border have killed at least 353 people and left more than 1,300 missing, sweeping away villages, roads and hydropower facilities.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 27, 2026

Nepal's foreign minister says preliminary reports show it may have been caused by an earthquake triggering an avalanche, which lead to flash floods.

From BBC ● Aug. 26, 2026

I watch as the fleeting flash of bright blue skims the surface of the river and is gone.

From "Code Name Kingfisher" by Liz Kessler

It’s called FLASH, for Family Life and Sexual Health, and every year, teachers nationwide download tens of thousands of its lesson plans.

From Seattle Times ● Dec. 24, 2017

That’s difficult for some teachers, said Kari Kesler, one of the lead authors of FLASH.

From Seattle Times ● Dec. 24, 2017

Magoč, T. & Salzberg, S. L. FLASH: fast length adjustment of short reads to improve genome assemblies.

From Nature ● Nov. 14, 2017

Every time the reminder flashes up on my screen, I have to think: “Would I have moved that money if not for the notification?”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 7, 2026

It aligned with the story of the 2026 Sparks, where being fully competitive has been just out of reach except for a few flashes.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 6, 2026

Gabriel Martinelli, who showed flashes of his quality playing for Brazil, is another player the Gunners could be open to selling this summer.

From BBC ● Jul. 19, 2026

He showed his quality in flashes but wasn't able to show his top level consistently, though did score a hat-trick in the third-place play-off against France.

From BBC ● Jul. 18, 2026

The screen turns solid blue, while the word “PLAY” flashes in the top left corner, in pixelated white letters.

From "I Can Make This Promise" by Christine Day

Since then, the market has flashed several bullish signals, while some sentiment gauges have shown signs of improvement.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 4, 2026

As passengers chanted the incantation together, white light flashed through the carriage, and music swelled from the speakers.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 29, 2026

"The screen went blank, flashed several times and the phone appeared to restart," according to CBP officers.

From Barron's ● Jul. 29, 2026

He’s flashed his fangs at chair umpires and once got himself thrown out of a U.S.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 11, 2026

Surprise flashed across his face, but he squashed it.

From "Bye Forever, I Guess" by Jodi Meadows

"We're getting to a point where it's a flashing yellow light. It's not a flashing red light," he says.

From BBC ● Aug. 20, 2026

That allows several police vehicles to broadcast a synchronized public safety announcement while flashing the same light-signal pattern.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 10, 2026

Public broadcaster NHK cited police sources as saying that between 20 and 30 employees could not be contacted, showing footage of emergency vehicles with flashing red lights outside.

From Barron's ● Jul. 28, 2026

Companies rewarded employees for tokenmaxxing, flashing leaderboards that showed who had spent the most.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 25, 2026

Everyone jumped and turned to look at the flashing red light on the wall.

From "Glitch" by Laura Martin

Related Words

• beam
• blaze
• burst
• flame
• flare
• glare
• gleam
• glimmer
• glint
• glitter
• glow
• radiation
• ray
• reflection
• spark
• sparkle
• vision