flicker

¹ American  

[flik-er] / ˈflɪk ər /

verb (used without object)

1. to burn unsteadily; shine with a wavering light; blink on and off.

   The candle flickered in the draft and went out.

   Synonyms:

   twinkle, shimmer, flash, gleam, glimmer, flare

2. to move to and fro; vibrate; quiver.

   The long grasses flickered in the wind.

3. to flutter.

   Her eyelids flickered, the only sign she'd been startled.

4. to appear or occur briefly.

   A smile flickered across his face.

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verb (used with object)

1. to cause to flicker.

   She flickered the lights quickly to attract their attention.

noun

1. an unsteady flame or light.

   A dim flicker of lamplight was all that illuminated the room.

2. a flickering movement.

   The flicker of the snake's tongue was hypnotizing.

3. a brief occurrence or appearance.

   The thought of reinforcements gave them a flicker of hope.

4. Slang. Often flickers flick.

5. Ophthalmology. the visual sensation of flickering that occurs when the interval between intermittent flashes of light is too long to permit fusion.

flicker ² American  

[flik-er] / ˈflɪk ər /

noun

1. any of several American woodpeckers of the genus Colaptes, having the underside of the wings and tail brightly marked with yellow or red and noted for taking insects from the ground as well as trees.

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flicker ¹ British  

/ ˈflɪkə /

verb

1. (intr) to shine with an unsteady or intermittent light

   a candle flickers

2. (intr) to move quickly to and fro; quiver, flutter, or vibrate

3. (tr) to cause to flicker

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noun

1. an unsteady or brief light or flame

2. a swift quivering or fluttering movement

3. 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

4. (plural) a US word for flick 2

flicker ² British  

/ ˈflɪkə /

noun

1. any North American woodpecker of the genus Colaptes , esp C. auratus ( yellow-shafted flicker ), which has a yellow undersurface to the wings and tail

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Other Word Forms

• flickeringly
  adverb
• flickery
  adjective
• unflickering
  adjective
• unflickeringly
  adverb

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.

Example Sentences

When the signal finally did flicker back into life there was a long silence before the voice of Christina Koch crackled back to mission control, evoking memories of the Apollo era.

From BBC • Apr. 6, 2026

“Once in a Lifetime” is part video display and part sculpture, made of tripods, toothpicks, lights, cardboard boxes and projectors that flicker images on the gallery walls.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 2, 2026

It was a gutty recovery by Alcaraz, but Zverev’s performance was also a bit of a flicker for men’s tennis.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 30, 2026

But Fiennes’ Kelson suggests that if all the lights do flicker out, sustaining our humanity will also be essential.

From Salon • Jan. 23, 2026

Was there a flicker of suspicion in his voice?

From "Found" by Margaret Peterson Haddix

Related Words

• blare
• blink
• flare
• flash
• flit
• gleam
• glimmer
• glint
• glitter
• glow
• hover
• quiver
• shimmer
• tremble
• twinkle
• waver