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

Example Sentences

Meanwhile, the subtle flicker of fire with cool blues around the edges of the flame is like a magic trick.

From Los Angeles Times

Travis Head – 8 – Any flicker of hope England might have had was snuffed out by a century from South Australia's favourite son in the second innings.

From BBC

Make a pumpkin spice blend that leans heavily on ginger instead of cinnamon, with a flicker of cardamom for warmth.

From Salon

But the performance could be improved by more emotional transparency—flickering only dimly is the sensitivity in Mat that attracts Anna.

From The Wall Street Journal

“You have a lot of light around you,” she said, her eyes seeming unfocused as she rested her vision on a candle flickering to the left of me.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

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